Naveed Ishaque

Post Graduate Student

Contact details

+44 (0)1603 450435
Email: naveed.ishaque@sainsbury-laboratory.ac.uk

Research interests

Hyaloperonospora (oomycetes) is a genus of downy mildews that are obligate biotrophic pathogens on more than 140 species in the family Brassicaceae. Hyaloperonospora arabidopsidis (Hpa) is responsible for downy mildew of Arabidopsis thaliana. Hpa secretes effector proteins, with a conserved RxLR motif, resulting in suppression of host defence (a compatible interaction) or triggering effector triggered immunity in the host due to recognition of an effector protein (an incompatible interaction). It has been shown that Hpa effectors ATR1 and ATR13 show hyper-variability between different races of Hpa. This sequence variation is a key signature of diversifying selective pressures acting on the effector to avoid recognition by the hosts resistance genes recognising certain forms of the effectors.

I am interested in applying Second Generation Sequencing methods (Illumina GA) to analyse sequence variation between various races of Hpa focusing on sequence variation in RxLR effector candidates, small secreted proteins, conserved eukaryotic genes and genes that are not annotated but show hyper-variability. We aim to put the observed variation into an evolutionary context and hope to identify effector genes that may play a role in the differential recognition phenotypes observed in incompatible/compatible interactions with the host.