This award supports the participation of American scientists in a U.S.-Japan seminar on Plant Pathogen Interactions and Delivery of Pathogen Signals to Plants, to be held in Marina del Rey, California from June 19-24, l999. The co-organizers are Professors Noel Keen at the University of California, Riverside and Shigeyuki Mayama at Kobe University in Japan. The study of plant-pathogen interactions is one of the fastest moving areas in all of plant biology. Recent advances in the cloning of plant disease resistance genes, biochemical studies and the isolation of key plant mutants, as well as conceptual and technical advances in the study of virulence mechanisms in pathogens, have coalesced to permit unprecedented progress.
The seminar will consist of several topics. These include: 1) pathogen signals perceived by plants; 2) plant disease resistance genes; 3) plant components receiving pathogen and other signals; and 4) Global functions of disease resistance and susceptibility It is expected that major and broad advances will be made through the success of this seminar with significance both for fundamental biology and for potential crop disease control strategies. Seminar organizers have made a special effort to involve younger researchers, from both countries, as both participants and observers. The exchange of ideas and data with Japanese experts in this field will enable U.S. participants to advance their own work, and will set the stage for future collaborative projects. ***
