Topic: Defense and counter-defense in small RNA-mediated plant immunity

Speaker: Prof. Wenbo MA

Time: 10:20-11:30 AM, 20 April 2026

Venue: Room 111, Lynn Library

Introduction:

Wenbo Ma is a Senior Group Leader at the Sainsbury Laboratory (TSL) and an honorary professor at the University of East Anglia, United Kingdom. She earned her PhD at the University of Waterloo, Canada, and conducted postdoctoral research at the University of Toronto with a Natural Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada Post-Doctoral Fellowship. She was a professor at the University of California Riverside from 2006 to 2020, when her group relocated to TSL.

Wenbo’s research investigates the molecular basis of the dynamic plant-pathogen arms race, advancing fundamental knowledge of microbial pathogenesis and plant immunity. Crucially, she pioneered the discovery and establishment of plant small RNAs as a critical battleground in the interactions with non-viral pathogens, catalyzing a rapid expansion in this field in the past recent years. Her groundbreaking research has led to key insights into the molecular intricacies of host-pathogen co-evolution, laying foundations for developing sustainable strategies for disease resistance.

Wenbo mentors early-career researchers and champions equity and inclusion in science. Wenbo is an elected fellow of the Royal Society, EMBO, AAAS, and the 2021 recipient of the Ruth Allen Award from the American Phytopathological Society. She is also the President-elect of the International Society for Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions (IS-MPMI).

Abstract:

The dynamic interplay between virulence factors of a pathogen and the immune system of a host determines whether disease will occur. A deep understanding of the molecular mechanisms that underlie host-pathogen arms race is essential for developing durable disease resistance. My lab has been interested in understanding a host-pathogen battleground centered on small RNAs (sRNAs). We have previously identified Phytophthora effectors that can specifically suppress the host secondary small interfering RNAs (siRNA) pathway. Further investigations revealed an important role of siRNAs in plant defense by silencing target genes in the invading pathogens during infection.

In this seminar, I will discuss our most recent progress on this natural host-induced gene silencing (nHIGS) as a bona fide immune mechanism. I will present the identification of an ancestral gene cluster that serves as the source of these antimicrobial siRNAs and a specialized Argonaute protein as a critical regulator of nHIGS and key node that integrates sRNA-dependent defense in the plant immune network.