PLANT-MICROBE INTERACTIONS RESEARCH GROUP
The Tran laboratory is located in the Department of Biology, University of South Alabama.
The main focus of our lab lays at the intersection of plant immunity and bacterial pathogenesis. Plants rely on their surface receptors to sense the presence of pathogens. Pathogenic microbes, on the other hand, have evolved a plethora of strategies to overcome defense responses mediated by plant immune receptors. We use a diverse range of molecular biology and advanced microscopy approaches to dissect the detailed molecular interactions between host plants (Arabidopsis, tomato, Nicotiana benthamiana) and bacterial pathogens (including but not limited to Ralstonia solanacearum, Pseudomonas spp., Xanthomonas spp.). We are particularly interested in how plasma membrane composition mediates the subtle changes in membrane compartmentalization and the dynamics of surface immune receptors in plants, as well as how bacterial virulence factors could compromise plant defense responses by interfering with plant membrane properties and dynamics.