Cellular and molecular interactions between nematophagous fungi, roots and plant-parasitic nematodes

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Project objective

The host department and the applicant have cooperated during the last two years. Apart from the scientific collaboration, the applicant has taught post-graduate courses and has been member of the University examination board for PhD students of the Department. With this proposal we intend to strengthen our scientific cooperation for a longer and continuous period. The applicant has a long experience of working with interactions between nematophagous fungi, as well as plant-parasitic fungi, nematodes and plants on both cellular and ecological levels. He has focused an important part of his research work on recognition phenomena, e.g. attraction and adhesion, between nematophagous fungi and their hosts. The group in Alicante works with fungal parasites of eggs of plant parasitic nematodes. The team is currently investigating factors related with the pathogenicity of these antagonists, such as differentiation of appressoria and rhizosphere colonization. The differentiation of hyphal tips into appressoria is a prerequisite for successful fungal infection. The appressoria involve adhesive properties, and formation and release, of lytic enzymes, which have been studied by the applicant during several years.

Original text from CORDIS.

Participants

• UNIVERSITY OF ALICANTE · ALICANTECoordinatorSpain

Links

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