ERC Grant for Prof. Silke Robatzek

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New therapy against olive pest

Silke Robatzek is Professor of Genetics and leads the Genetics of Plant-Microorganism Interaction research group at the Faculty of Biology.

The pathogen Xylella fastidiosa (Xf) causes bacterial leaf scorch, which affects valuable crops such as olives, grapevines, almonds, and blueberries. The disease is responsible for massive economic damage, especially in the Mediterranean region. A prominent example is the widespread loss of old olive groves in Southern Italy. Existing strategies for combating the disease have proven to be inadequate, and so we urgently need innovative new solutions. This is where Silke Robatzek comes in with her research project PROTaX (Designing a Novel Protein Inspired Therapeutic Against Xylella). The cell biologist and geneticist is pursuing a novel approach based on the hypothesis that the phytomicrobiomes of certain unaffected plants contain inhibiting factors against Xf. And in experiments, Robatzek was indeed able to identify a specific protein, and an active region within it, that inhibits the growth of the pathogen.

In the course of PROTaX, she now plans to further optimize this protein region and render it suitable for therapeutic application in agriculture. To do this, Robatzek will concentrate on the development of more effective protein fragments and test various forms of application. “Despite the major challenges that arise, the project has huge potential and is a promising alternative to conventional plant protection strategies,” says Robatzek. At the end of the project, the team plans not only to present a functioning protein fragment with proven effectiveness in plant models, but also to analyze market interest in order to lay the groundwork for subsequent application in practice.