Increasing crop resistance to pathogens
We all know that animals have an immune system - but plants have systems to fight infection too. Plant cells have receptor proteins which bind with parts of a pathogen. These receptor proteins are located on the surface of plant cells and enable the plant to recognize what kind of attacker needs to be repelled. Working with international colleagues, researchers at the University of Tübingen have discovered a pattern common to many microbes which can set off a plant's immune reaction. The nlp20 peptide fragment is a component of toxins in bacteria, fungi and oomycetes. A common pathogen producing this nlp20-containing virulence factor is Phytophthora infestans, which causes potato blight. The disease led to the Great Famine of 1845 in Ireland - and it still causes significant damage to potato and tomato crops today.