Microbes are present in every corner of our environment. To promote niche occupation and colonization, they secrete various molecules with antimicrobial properties. Recent independent studies have shown that interactions among microbial communities in the phyllosphere, as well as between microbes and their hosts, significantly influence the development of plant diseases. These findings suggest that antimicrobial effectors deployed by plant pathogens to facilitate host colonization and infection may represent a common strategy.

My study aims to identify antimicrobial effectors secreted by plant pathogens that create a favorable microenvironment for establishing infection. Moreover, I am interested in the mechanisms by which these antimicrobial effectors function and the extent to what level these antimicrobial effectors can affect the disease development.

Dr. Mingzhe Zhang

University of Cologne

CEPLAS / Institiute for Plant Sciences
Chair of Terrestrial Microbiology
Zülpicher Straße 47a
D-50674 Cologne
Tel:  +49 221-470-1503
Fax: +49 221-470-7406
Mail: mzhang16(at)uni-koeln(dot)de