The Nishimura lab explores the mechanistic underpinnings of plant-pathogen interactions. 

We want to understand how some plants are resistant to pathogens, while others become diseased.

From the plant side, we need to know how the plant immune system functions.

How do plants recognize potential pathogens and activate an appropriate immune response?

From the pathogen perspective, what strategies can subvert the host and suppress immunity?

Ultimately, how can we use all this knowledge to engineer the plant immune system to improve our crops?

To answer these questions we employ many modes of science including Genomics, Genetics, Molecular Biology, and Genome Engineering.

We’re supported by NSF-IOS-7775166 and Colorado State University.