Aardra Kachroo Research
Research Projects
Systemic acquired resistance
Systemic acquired resistance (SAR) is a unique form of induced immunity in plants that provides whole plant protection against a broad spectrum of pathogens. SAR involves the generation of mobile signals at the site of primary infection, which then travel to systemic portions of the plant and prepare them for subsequent infections by related or unrelated pathogens. We are interested in understanding the mechanism of mobile signal generation, movement and perception resulting in the onset of systemic immunity.
Systemic signaling in beneficial plant-microbe interactions
It is well known that plant defense signaling overlaps significantly with responses to beneficial microbes. We are particularly interested in understanding the systemic signaling mechanisms via which plants select the most beneficial microbes during mutualism and how that process overlaps with defense signaling against pathogenic microorganisms.
Functional genomics: soybean fatty acid/triacyl glyceolipid biosynthesis
Our studies have shown that glycerol-3-phosphate (G3P), an obligatory precursor of all glycerolipid biosynthesis, is an essential regulator of both local and systemic defense defense responses. Likewise, the monounsaturated fatty acid, oleic acid (18:1), not only regulates local defense responses but is a key precursor for mobile signal generation during SAR. We are interested in functionally characterizing the metabolic activities that regulate the levels of these key molecules to fully characterize the connection between glycerolipid metabolism and defense signaling.
Microbial effector recognition in soybean
The plant immune response is triggered upon effector-derived perturbations of key cellular proteins. We are interested in identifying such targets to better understand how plants perceive pathogen presence. These studies have led us to identify proteins that contribute to plant defense as well as pathogen virulence. Ongoing efforts are directed toward identifying the biological processes that are specifically perturbed by pathogen effectors.
Research News Highlights
- Research related to systemic signaling overlap in plant-pathogenic and plant-beneficial microbe interactions
- In UK Ag News
- In Morning Ag Clips
- Research related to travel routes of mobile inducers of systemic resistances
- In UK Ag News
- Research related to overlap in plant growth and microbial defense signaling
- In UK Ag News
- Research related to travel routes of mobile inducers of systemic resistances
- In Nature Plants
- In UK Ag News
- In Science Daily
- Research related to function of galactolipids in systemic immunity highlighted
- Research related to function of nitric oxide and reactive oxygen species in systemic immunity highlighted
- In Global Medical Discovery
- In Morning Ag Clips
- In UK Ag News
- Research related to function of RNA silencing components in effector-triggered immunity highlighted
- Research related to light-mediated regulation of viral defense highlighted
- In The Ag Magazine (A College of Agriculture publication, Fall 2011, pg 23)
- Research related to plant systemic immunity highlighted
- Research related to bean pod mottle virus featured
- In Soybean Sentinel (A Kentucky Soybean Association magazine. Fall 2010, pg 16)
- Research related to soybean research
- Featured on the cover of Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions (2008, 21:564)
