Projects in the 2nd funding period

• A2 Prof. Dr. Ralph Panstruga (RWTH Aachen University) Exploring the cross-kingdom RNA interference landscape in the barley-powdery mildew interaction

• A4 Dr. Arne Weiberg (LMU Munich) Tomato-induced cross-kingdom RNA interference in the fungal pathogen Botrytis cinerea

• A5 Prof. Dr. Caroline Gutjahr (MPI-MP Potsdam-Golm) Characterization of fungal cross-kingdom RNAi in arbuscular mycorrhiza symbiosis

• A6 Dr. Ena Šečić (JLU Gießen) Beneficial RNA interference in model and crop plants

• B1 Prof. Dr. Silke Robatzek (LMU Munich) The role of Hfq and exRNAs in plant infections with Xylella fastidiosa

• B2 Prof. Dr. Julia Kehr (Hamburg University) The role and transport mechanism of extracellular RNAs in the Verticillium – Brassica interaction

• B3 Prof. Dr. Michael Feldbrügge (Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf) exRNA transfer in the U. maydis/corn pathosystem

• B5 Prof. Dr. Gunter Meister (University Regensburg) Analysis of dynamic Argonaute protein interaction networks during plant-microbe interactions

Projects in the 1st funding period

• A1 Prof. Dr. Karl-Heinz Kogel (JLU Gießen) RNA communication in mutualistic microbe-plant interactions: Molecular targets and  biotechnological strategies for improved crop plant production

• A2 Prof. Dr. Ralph Panstruga (RWTH Aachen University) Cross-kingdom RNA transfer in the barley-powdery mildew interaction
• A4 Dr. Arne Weiberg (LMU Munich) The role of fungal Argonautes and other types of RNA-binding proteins in Botrytis-plant cross-kingdom RNAi
• B1 Prof. Dr. Silke Robatzek (LMU Munich, Heisenberg Fellow) The role of bacterial extracellular RNAs in plant infections with Xylella
• B2 Prof. Dr. Julia Kehr (Universität Hamburg) Extracellular RNAs in vascular wilt diseases
• B3 Prof. Dr. Michael Feldbrügge (Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf)
  Comparative analysis of cross kingdom RNA transfer in smut/plant pathosystems
• B4 Prof. Dr. Albrecht Bindereif and Dr. Christian Preußer (JLU Giessen)
  Vesicle-mediated RNA transfer: from factors and mechanisms to functions
• C1 Prof. Dr. Alexander Goesmann (JLU Giessen)
  Bioinformatic methods for the investigation of cross-kingdom RNA communication

Associated project

• Dr. Vera Göhre (Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf) Cross-kingdom RNA communication during smut fungal infection by Thecaphora thlaspeos

Mentoring Program

• M1 Dr. Alexandra C.U. Furch (Friedrich-Schiller-Univerität Jena) Fungal attacks – analysis of systemic phloem located reactions following symbiotic and pathogenic fungal infection
  
• M2 Dr. Ena Šečić (JLU Giessen) Investigation of non-coding RNAs in plant-endophyte symbiosis
• M3 Dr. Vera Göhre (Heinrich-Heine University
 Düsseldorf) (AP) Cross-kingdom RNA communication during smut fungal infection byThecaphora thlaspeos