Development and pathogenesis share the common features of responding to environmental conditions to execute a program of gene expression resulting in new cell types.

An important question in plant pathogenesis is to understanding the functions of pathogen effectors and their host target(s).   Fungal effectors play roles in suppressing host defense mechanisms, however, other biotrophic functions, such as manipulating host physiology to promote nutrient acquisition and cell-to-cell movement are possible.  Therefore, identification of the full set of fungal proteins secreted during host invasion is a major effort in plant pathology research.  Candidate effectors are generally identified by virtue of i) their expression in planta ii) assessing their activity on the host using purified proteins or by manipulating expression iii) detecting the rapid evolution of effector genes due to selective pressure from the host.  My lab is using a combination of these approaches to identify and characterize a gene family of putative effectors from Magnaporthe oryzae, the rice blast fungus and define interactions with monocot hosts.

Zhong Z, Lin L, Zheng H, Bao J, Chen M, Zhang L, Tang W, Ebbole DJ, Wang Z. 2020. Emergence of a hybrid PKS-NRPS secondary metabolite cluster in a clonal population of the rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae. Environ Microbiol. doi: 10.1111/1462-2920.14994.

Zhang L, Zhang D, Chen Y, Ye W, Lin Q, Lu G, Ebbole DJ, Olsson S, Wang Z. 2019. Magnaporthe oryzae CK2 Accumulates in Nuclei, Nucleoli, at Septal Pores and Forms a Large Ring Structure in Appressoria, and Is Involved in Rice Blast Pathogenesis. Front Cell Infect Microbiol. 9:113. doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2019.00113.

Han Y, Song L, Peng C, Liu X, Liu L, Zhang Y, Wang W, Zhou J, Wang S, Ebbole DJ, Wang Z, Lu GD. A Magnaporthe Chitinase Interacts with a Rice Jacalin-Related Lectin to Promote Host Colonization. Plant Physiol. 2019 179(4):1416-1430. doi: 10.1104/pp.18.01594.

Zhong Z, Chen M, Lin L, Han Y, Bao J, Tang W, Lin L, Lin Y, Somai R, Lu L,Zhang W, Chen J, Hong Y, Chen X, Wang B, Shen WC, Lu G, Norvienyeku J, Ebbole DJ,Wang Z. 2018. Population genomic analysis of the rice blast fungus reveals specific events associated with expansion of three main clades. ISME J. 12(8):1867-1878. doi: 10.1038/s41396-018-0100-6.

Matar KAO, Chen X, Chen D, Anjago WM, Norvienyeku J, Lin Y, Chen M, Wang Z, Ebbole DJ, Lu GD. 2017. WD40-repeat protein MoCreC is essential for carbon repression and is involved in conidiation, growth and pathogenicity of Magnaporthe oryzae. Curr Genet. 63:685-696. doi.org/10.1007/s00294-016-0668-1

Wang, BH, Ebbole DJ, and Wang ZH. 2017 (in press). Review: The arms race between Magnaporthe oryzae and rice: Diversity and interaction of Avr and R genes. Journal of Integrative Agriculture 16(12) Doi: 10.1016/S2095-3119(17)61746-5

Matar KAO, Chen X, Chen D, Anjago WM, Norvienyeku J, Lin Y, Chen M, Wang Z, Ebbole DJ, Lu GD. 2017. WD40-repeat protein MoCreC is essential for carbon repression and is involved in conidiation, growth and pathogenicity of Magnaporthe oryzae. Curr Genet. 63:685-696.

Zhong Z, Norvienyeku J, Chen M, Bao J, Lin L, Chen L, Lin Y, Wu X, Cai Z, Zhang Q, Lin X, Hong Y, Huang J, Xu L, Zhang H, Chen L, Tang W, Zheng H, Chen X,  Wang Y, Lian B, Zhang L, Tang H, Lu G, Ebbole DJ, Wang B, Wang Z. 2016. Directional Selection from Host Plants Is a Major Force Driving Host Specificity in Magnaporthe Species. Sci Rep. 6:25591

Chen X, Ebbole, DJ, and Wang Z. 2015. The Exocyst Complex: Delivery Hub for Morphogenesis and Pathogenesis in Filamentous Fungi. Curr. Opin. Plant Biol. 28:48-54.

Zheng W, Zhou J, He Y, Xie Q, Chen A, Zheng H, Shi L, Zhao X, Zhang C, Huang Q, Fang K, Lu G, Ebbole DJ, Li G, Naqvi NI, Wang Z. 2015.  Retromer Is Essential for Autophagy-Dependent Plant Infection by the Rice Blast Fungus. PLoS Genet. 11(12):e1005704.

Zheng H, Zheng W, Wu C, Yang J, Xi Y, Xie Q, Zhao X, Deng X, Lu G, Li G, Ebbole D, Zhou J, Wang Z. 2015. Rab GTPases are essential for membrane trafficking-dependent growth and pathogenicity in Fusarium graminearum. Environ Microbiol. 17(11):4580-99.

Chung, D, Upadhyay, S, Bomer, B, Wilkinson H, Ebbole, D, Shaw, B. 2015. Neurospora crassa ASM-1 complements the conidiation defect in a stuA mutant of Aspergillus nidulans. Mycologia. 107:298-306.

Chen X, Ebbole DJ, Wang Z. The exocyst complex: delivery hub for morphogenesis and pathogenesis in filamentous fungi. Curr Opin Plant Biol. 2015 Dec;28:48-54. doi: 10.1016/j.pbi.2015.09.003. PMID: 26453967

Cellular and Molecular Biology of Filamentous Fungi.  ASM Press.  2010. Katherine Borkovich and Daniel J. Ebbole, eds. Washington DC. 788 pages.

Ebbole D.J. 2007. Magnaporthe as a model for understanding host-pathogen interactions. Annu. Rev. Phytopathol. 45:437-456.