Wenbo Ma group

Wenbo Ma’s group studies the molecular mechanisms of plant disease.

Our group works on model pathogen systems:

• Phytophthora, a genus of oomycete pathogens which cause a wide range of diseases including potato late blight and sudden oak death.
• Pseudomonas syringae, a gram-negative bacterium which utilises the type 3 secretion system to deliver effectors into its host’s cytosol.

We are interested in how small RNA-mediated gene silencing contributes to plant immunity and in engineering resistance through host-induced gene silencing.