2017 Frontiers in Fusarium-Host Interactions Workshop held in Shanghai

Sponsored jointly by Chinese Society for Plant Biology and Institute of Plant Physiology & Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, the 2017 Frontiers in Fusarium-Host Interactions Workshop was held in Shanghai from August 21 to 23.  Professor XU Jinrong from Purdue University and professor TANG Weihua from the Institute of Plant Physiology & Ecology, CAS, co-chaired the organizing committee.

The theme of this workshop is Fusarium-Host Interactions; and its topics cover fusarium pathogenicity, mycotoxin biosynthesis, genome engineering, fungicide resistant mechanism and host plant defense response mechanism. Several distinguished speakers shared their exciting research stories with the participants respectively. Professor XU Jinrong gave a talk on “Functional characterization of unique genes encoding secreted proteins in Fusarium graminearum”; Professor Kim Hammond-Kosack from Rothamsted Research made a report on “Using in planta and in silico approaches to explore compatible Fusarium-wheat interactions”; Professor Sung-Huwan Yun from Soonchumhyang University introduced his recent research progress on “Comparative genomics and transcriptomics reveal the phylogenetically distinct pathotypes of the rice fungal pathogen, Fusarium fujikuroi”; and Professor Jorg Bormann from Hamburg University lectured on “Taming a virus: a novel defence gene controls virus spread”. Adding to these were 14 talks and 18 posters, which altogether contributed in multiple forms to deep communication and discussion.

Over 70 representatives from 6 countries joined in this symposium, including United States, Germany, United Kingdom, Canada, South Korea and China. In exploring new approaches and facilitating novel cooperation, this workshop hopefully would build and promote an academic exchange platform for the research of fungal pathogen Fusarium.