Plants, like animals, constantly face threats from a variety of pathogens. During the early stages of infection, only a small group of plant cells directly interact with pathogens, creating a localized microenvironment. These localized cells comprise a heterogeneous population with diverse cell types and states. Despite this, how pathogen-targeted cells communicate with neighboring cells and coordinate their activities to spatially organize immune responses remains unclear. Pathogens, on the other hand, produce proteins known as effectors which are critical for disease development. In resistant plant genotypes, effectors can be recognized by plant innate immune receptors, triggering defense responses. This leads to questions: what are the spatial dynamics of effector expression, and how are these patterns influenced by plant immune responses? 

In the Zhu Lab, we leverage advanced single-cell/spatial transcriptomics combined with confocal microscopy to dissect the spatial organization of plant-microbe interactions at cellular and molecular levels. The research aims to deepen our understanding of thespatial dynamics of plant-microbe interactions and provide insights into developing disease-resilient plants.