Wenbo Ma group

Wenbo Ma’s group studies effector proteins to understand the mechanisms by which pathogens overwhelm their hosts to cause disease.

We work on several pathogen systems:

- Phytophthora, a genus of oomycete pathogens which cause a wide range of diseases, including late blight of potato and sudden oak death.

- Pseudomonas syringae, a gram-negative bacteria which utilises the type 3 secretion system T3SS to deliver effectors into the host cytosol.

- Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus, the bacterium responsible for citrus Huanglongbing (HLB) disease, also known as citrus greening.

We are also interested in how small RNA-mediated gene silencing contributes to plant immunity.