A. Djamei

Tip of the iceberg? Three novel TOPLESS interacting effectors of the gall-inducing fungus Ustilago maydis

The paper identifies three novel effector proteins from Ustilago maydis that interact with maize TPL proteins and modulate auxin signaling, contributing to fungal virulence.

The fungal pathogen Ustilago maydis targets the maize corepressor TPL2 to modulate host transcription for tumorigenesis

This study identifies Tip6, an effector protein from Ustilago maydis, which interacts with ZmTPL2 to disrupt host transcriptional regulation and promote tumorigenesis.

A fungal endophyte-generated nucleoside signal regulates host cell death and promotes root colonization

This study identifies fungal enzymes that produce a metabolite triggering plant cell death, which is essential for fungal colonization of roots.

TOPLESS promotes plant immunity by repressing auxin signaling and is targeted by the fungal effector Naked1

The paper shows that the fungal effector Naked1 manipulates plant TOPLESS proteins to suppress immunity by enhancing auxin signaling, and engineered variants of Naked1 can induce resistance.

A cross-kingdom conserved ER-phagy receptor maintains endoplasmic reticulum homeostasis during stress

The paper identifies C53 as a conserved ER-phagy receptor that links autophagy with ribosome-associated quality control during ER stress in plants and mammals.

'Macrobot' - an automated segmentation-based system for powdery mildew disease quantification

The paper introduces a system called 'Macrobot' for automated quantification of powdery mildew disease symptoms on wheat and barley.

Fungal effector Jsi1 hijacks plant JA/ET signaling through Topless

This paper identifies Jsi1, a fungal effector that hijacks plant JA/ET signaling by interacting with TPL/TPR co-repressors, leading to biotrophic susceptibility.

The Pleiades cluster of fungal effector genes inhibit 1 host defenses

The paper identifies a cluster of ten fungal effector genes in Ustilago maydis that suppress host reactive oxygen species production, impair virulence, and target different host components.

A High-throughput Screening Method to Identify Proteins Involved in Unfolded Protein Response Signaling in Plants

The paper develops a high-throughput screening method to identify proteins affecting UPR signaling in plants using fluorescent reporters and confirms findings with qRT-PCR.