Mehdi Kabbage
Credentials: Plant Pathology Department
Position title: Plant fungal interactions; stress tolerance, programmed cell death
Email: kabbage@wisc.edu
Phone: (608) 262-0506
Address:
Russell Laboratories
1630 Linden Dr
Madison, WI 53706
LAB WEBSITE:
https://plantpath.wisc.edu/assistant-professor-mehdi-kabbage/
FOCUS GROUPS:
Plant Biology; Molecular & Genome Biology of Microbes
RESEARCH DESCRIPTION:
As a mycologist, with an interest in plant fungal interactions, my overall research goal is to generate a complete description of necrotrophic fungal pathogenesis. Plant associated fungi and oomycetes have adopted different lifestyles and strategies to achieve pathogenic success. Necrotrophic pathogens, by definition, require dead host cells for nutrient acquisition. I am interested in understanding how cell death pathways are modulated in response to the fungal necrotroph Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, a highly successful pathogen on many dicot plants, as well as identifying effectors associated with its pathogenesis. Because the control of cell death is crucial to the outcome of many plant-‐fungal interactions, I am also interested in identifying the mechanistic details of plant programmed cell death in the context of stress tolerance and disease resistance.