Abstract

Host Prof. Sebastian Eves van-den Akker

Abstract Insect-transmitted plant pathogens and their vectors employ sophisticated strategies to modulate plant processes. Phytoplasma effectors disrupt developmental pathways to extend the vegetative growth phase, delaying flowering, and enhancing vector attraction and fecundity. At the same time, insect vector effectors redirect entire defence protein complexes to processing bodies, whose roles in plant immunity remain largely unexplored. These defence proteins are, however, critical for regulating plant responses to various pathogens, including insect-transmitted viruses. Our research uncovers the intricate synergies between pathogens and vectors, revealing how they collaboratively modulate plant processes to their advantage while highlighting key plant mechanisms that regulate both development and immunity. This knowledge offers valuable insights for innovative strategies to boost crop productivity. Furthermore, we discovered a novel targeted protein degradation pathway with transformative potential extending beyond plant biology.

Biography Saskia A. Hogenhout earned her BSc/MSc from the Vrije University Amsterdam (1994) and PhD from Wageningen University (1999). She joined The Ohio State University as Assistant Professor (1999) and became Associate Professor (2005). She moved to the John Innes Centre, UK (2007), became Honorary Professor at the University of East Anglia (2013), and was elected EMBO Member (2023) and Fellow of the Royal Society (2024). Her research explores plant-microbe-insect interactions.

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