Colloquium with Johannes Debler (CCDM, Perth, Australia)
On 12 May 2026, Johannes Debler (Centre for Crop and Disease Management, Perth, Australia) will present insights to his current research as part of the SNP2Prot Colloquium Series.
Speaker: Johannes Debler (CCDM, Perth, Australia)
Title: Strange New Elements – Silenced genes and rogue DNA in fungal plant pathogens
Date: Tuesday, 12 May 2026
Time: 17:00 pm
Location: Lecture hall E.02 (Heide Süd Campus) Theodor-Lieser-Strasse 9, Halle (Saale)
Abstract: Many plant pathogens survive by staying hidden from their host’s immune system, but sometimes we can turn that stealth against them.
We recently identified a putative avirulence gene silenced by a MULE:MuDR transposon insertion in Ascochyta rabiei, the causal agent of Ascochyta blight in chickpea. This silencing event may have conferred such a strong evolutionary advantage that it drove a lifestyle shift across the entire species, reclassifying our understanding of this pathogen.
But that’s not all we found hiding. During genome assembly curation, we stumbled across a mysterious 24 kb circular element carrying an unusual combination of genes. Present in both A. rabiei and A. lentis, an expanded search has since identified it across 11 fungal plant pathogens separated by millions of years of evolution, yet remaining strikingly conserved.
What is it? We have no idea, but it’s definitely not a moon.
If you like to meet with the speaker, please contact the host, Thorsten Langner.
See all upcoming SNP2Prot colloquia listed here: https://snp2prot.uni-halle.de/events/category/colloquium/
The SNP2Prot Colloquium Series is integrated to the
- Halle Plant Science Colloquium (HPSC) – https://www.landw.uni-halle.de/prof/pflanzenernaehrung/hpsc/
- IPB Seminar Series – https://www.ipb-halle.de/forschung/symposien-und-kolloquien/vortraege/ipb-seminare