Research programme on the genetic processes that allow the establishment of bacterial pathogens in their hosts

Future studies will elucidate the role of Ax21 and RapX in quorum sensing, another phenomenon that is controlled by the Rax system. The ability to genetically modify X. vasicola pv. musacearum will help to decipher the Xanthomonas-banana pathosystem. Our new genomic resources will be instrumental to gain deeper insight into the role of the Rax system and other pathogenicity factors to provoke plant diseases. This initiative, which was generously supported by the Agropolis Foundation, lays the foundation stone for a future project on BXW within the Roots, Tubers, and Banana consortium (http://www.rtb.cgiar.org/) under the umbrella of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR, http://www.cgiar.org/).