Speaker 1 0:00 Jim: Hello and welcome back to Plantopia. Plantopia is the plant health podcast from the American Phytopathological Society. And I'm your host Jim Bradeen. I'm a professor of plant pathology and associate vice president at Colorado State University. And today is the first of several episodes of Plantopia that we are recording live at the 12th International Congress of Plant Pathology in Lyon, France. Today, it's my privilege to welcome Professor Mathias Choquer, originally from the Versailles region, Matias completed his university studies in Paris, earning a master's degree in 2000, and a PhD in 2004. And he completed two postdocs, the first at the University of Florida, and the second Inra, which is the French National Institute of Agriculture, in all cases, specializing in plant pathology. Mathias joined the biology faculty at the University of Leone in 2007, and is currently an associate professor. He's also an expert on the functional genomics of phytopathogenic fungi with a particular interest in the gray mold fungus, botrytis, cinerea, and other necrotrophic fungi. His research includes identification of virulence factors using both omics and genetics approaches, and a collaboration with Bayer Crop sciences includes identifying fungal factors that are potential targets of fungicides and the development of new antifungal strategies. He has led some amazing research on cell wall biosynthesis and acicular trafficking as they relate to pathogenicity, and we will get into his research in just a minute. Mateus also teaches general microbiology at both the undergraduate and graduate levels and is involved in teacher training, and Mateus has been an active leader in our discipline. He has been an elected member of the board of the French society of plant biology since 2012. And since 2018, he has served on the executive committee for the International Society for plant pathology or ispcp. And in his role with both the French society and ICPP, Mateus has contributed to the publication of an educational book on plant pathology. And along with colleague Natalie Cousteau ro co-organized the ICPP meeting. And I should mention that ICPP is a collaboration between the International Society of Plant Pathology and the French Society of Plant Pathology. Among his planning contributions for ICPP, Mateus was involved in selecting the theme of this year's meeting one health for all plants crops in trees. Welcome Mateus. Thanks, you first let me apologize to you and other francophones out there for any damage that I've done or will do to your beautiful language, it is unintentional. Second, I want to especially thank you for taking time to be on Plantopia, at this exact moment. For our listeners, we are recording this episode just a few hours before the welcoming ceremonies of ICPP and Mathias I'm sure this is a very busy time for you. Speaker 2 3:06 Mathias: I really appreciate the introductions. So I'd like to thank you. And for me, it's the first time I'm doing the podcast. And so I really like this. And I would like also to present my activity of a teacher and the teacher that I am and our researcher in plant pathology. So thank you very much. Speaker 1 3:27 Jim: It's wonderful. It's great to have you on the show. So Matias, let's start with the ICPP meeting. We're talking today in your beautiful hometown of Lyon, France. And we're about to launch the ICPP, the International Congress of Plant Pathology. Tell our listeners a little bit about the ICPP meeting? Speaker 2 3:44 Mathias: Yes, so the International Congress of Plant Pathology is held every five years. So it's under the patronage of the international society have done pathology. So there are two president is Jan Leach, from the Colorado University. And also the other society that is organizing this Congress is a French Phytopathological Society. Because several years ago, we participated to abide to organize it and so forth. And so we we wandered by it, and we are really honored by that. And it was really so great honor to ask these prestigious Congress is worldwide Congress. So I was in the one in Boston. That was five years ago, a beautiful Congress and I hope we'll do so nice Congress for everybody within the next days, Speaker 1 4:45 Jim: We are excited for ICPP How many people have registered for this meeting? Speaker 2 4:51 Mathias: So far? The meeting, we have 2400 registrations, which was not a spected after the crisis COVID crisis, so we are really happy to see that we have arrived the same number of registration then in Boston. So people are coming back to the Congress. So it's saying it's very nice to see that. Unknown Speaker 5:18 Jim: That's wonderful. And where are folks coming from? Speaker 2 5:20 Mathias: From about 100 countries from all of the words. So I would say maybe how for the attendees are from Europe. And we also have a lot of people from North America, from Asia and the other parts of the world. Yeah. Unknown Speaker 5:39 Jim: So exciting. What can we expect from this meeting? What are some of the highlights? Speaker 2 5:45 Mathias: As you say in the introduction, we had to choose a topic for the call rest. And we understood that one else global concept that is so important for human health animal else was not really considering plant health equally. So we wanted to focus on this topic of one else by meditating in the introduction of plant pathogen plant else into CS global concept. So you will see in the ICPP Congress, several keynotes, or concurrent sessions are especially speaking about one else. But of course, we also have a lot of other topics. It's really a general Congress, including all types of diseases. So that means all types of parasites from bacteria, viruses, to forgive nematodes, insects that carry these microorganisms, and also people working on molecular biology on epidemiology on Diana diagnostics, risk assessment. And so it's very diverse FIDE Congress. And also that explaining the success I think, of having so many people going to this meeting. Speaker 1 7:18 Jim: Yeah, it's certainly exciting. I'm looking forward to the the opening ceremony is very soon. Well, thank you. We're certainly excited to see what ICPP holds for all of us. And you've obviously been very busy with this meeting. But we are here in France and you are French. Could you tell us a little bit about what we should see in France? Speaker 2 7:38 Mathias: If you have the possibility to visit the city of Lyon, you know, your is a very older city. So 2000 years of history. So you always quite impressive in the very diversified architecture of the city, because you will have some architecture from the Holman area. Yeah, they're very nice and ciater at the top of the healer phobia. We also have a lot of houses from the Renaissance. Ah, and also more recent that PJ chose so it's you when you just walk by the city you fit to cross different ages of history. So I would just tell you to just walk by and that's and we and you will be surprised. I think Speaker 1 8:30 Jim: You're what I've seen of Lyon's apart tells me it really is a wonderful city in France. Yeah. And famous sports food as well. Speaker 2 8:38 Mathias: Yeah, no, he's also very famous for saris food, because probably is the Madame French gastronomy originated from yoga, from mothers from the old word cooking and doing great very good gastronomy. And then the big chiefs are first a lot of them are also familiar as so we usually say that your is the capital of guests went to New France. And I hope you will enjoy your the restaurants and and the traditional meals of Lyon. Speaker 1 9:16 Jim: Wonderful. Now you've long been a leader in the French society of plant biology and tell us a little bit about the society. Speaker 2 9:25 Mathias: Yes, so when I was a student, I had to go to the congresses of this French society and I really liked it like the people from this society and like the diversity also of the thematic So I proposed to be part of this adventure with these people, and so are sick it's been 10 years that I am addicted in the board of society. I mainly work on to task in the society By participated to the editor committee for education educational, that has now been published on sweets book in French and sweet will speak about phytopathology. And from the front of the biology of parasites to the solutions to fight against them x. And all the tasks can be big task was the organization of the ICPP meeting. Speaker 1 10:31 Jim: So tell us a little more about why the society is important to your profession, and why students or early career professionals should get involved in their society? Speaker 2 10:42 Mathias: Yes, so part of the French society activity is to exchange mails between people, so make communication between people. And I think young students can find interesting informations from this communication. Sometimes you see some enhancements from for jobs, you also can ask questions to this form of distribution. And also there's a possibility to apply for a bursary to attend a meeting in France or in other countries. So I think it's really interesting for the students to participate and to integrate this society. And so my Asik my words in for this educational book are relate to, to that also, too. So this, this book will be, I hope will be used in universities to present the phytopathology discipline, which are not well known by biology. So I think it's a great thing to throw the SFP to do. Yeah. Speaker 1 11:57 JIm: No, that's wonderful. So is it fair to say, our professional societies and providing community as well as professional resources? So while we're on the topic of plant pathology, and how we get involved in plant pathology, tell us a little about your origin story. How did you discover the field of plant pathology? Speaker 2 12:17 Mathias: I would say that when I was a bachelor student, I wanted to get courses on microbiology and also on plant biology. So when I had to decide in which Master I would like to continue, I was thinking, how can I do best work on microbiology and plants. So then I found just that plant petrology was mixing last topics, so it was perfect for me. And that's how I discovered the plant pathology. Unknown Speaker 12:52 Jim: So do you come from a farming background? Speaker 2 12:56 Mathias: No, it's coming from more genetic background. So I have more expertise in molecular biology and genetics. Speaker 1 13:07 Jim: Well, so that brings us to your current position, then, in your research interests, your associate professor at the University of Lyon, you told me a moment ago that your favorite organism is the gray mold fungus portrayed a scenario What's so special about the traders scenario, Speaker 2 13:25 Mathias: I first worked on bacteria but then I discovered funghi and I really liked these types of eukaryotic organisms that are more complex. And so I really liked studying for me and why we'll try to is probably for this type of necrotic funghi we need to understand how they infect plants and usually people think they just destroy everything it's not it's different from biotrophic fungie that are in live plants. But in fact there is it seemed that there is a close dialogue between the plants and these necrotrophic For GI and I really like to study this part of the communication be the crosstalk between them that it's not that like the fungus was just killing the plant there is just before the step there is a communication between both the phone call center and the plant so this is something I want now to study and we're starting to get nice results from this. Speaker 1 14:35 Jim: Yeah, it's fascinating in betrayed us scenario is a pretty widespread pathogen. Speaker 2 14:41 Mathias: Yes, it infects more than 1000 plants a lot of them are also gather problems in agronomy. So you know grape wine is really affected by the atrocities and also vegetable fruits. So It's also post harvest disease. But it seems that even if it's able to incite to thousands of plants, it seems to be specialized in dicotyledonous plants and naturally infecting monocots like cereals. So, you know, we have to understand why because it seems like so many plants, but not some other types. So, this specialization is not really understood. So as he sees a black box, Speaker 1 15:28 Jim: Yeah, that is interesting. So obviously, there's genetic resistance out there, or maybe that crosstalk just doesn't work with mana cups, same way an Asian guy got. So a lot of your work is focused on vesicular trafficking, and betrayed, I was betrayed using this. Speaker 2 15:46 Mathias: It's quite a recent topic for my team. So it's really work is also as a colleagues from from my team. And we initially on boatride, t's we worked on producing 100 mutants to evidence, some mutants that are non pathogenic. And so these mutants that are deleted from a gene and that are non pathogenic, enables you to identify the gene, and that it may be a pathogenicity gene. So after this work, we identified that all the 100 mutants that we obtain, and that are non pathogenic, where how having a signature, a hallmark of secretion effects. So it was for us quite surprising because the genes that were deleted were really different between these mutants. But all mutants were having difficulty in secreting, and especially secreting virulence factors, proteins such as an zeise, destroying the plant, or pathogenicity genes were implicated in the secretion of toxins. So then we decided with the team to focus on the secretion process, and how the fungus is doing its secretion, it's by making vesicles and these vesicles they follow a traffic inside the folders, then there is a they did the the visit cues, they delivers the effectors or the you know, the pathogenicity or effectors. And that makes probably that explains probably why the fungus is having such great violence on land. So they D was to identify actors of the service extra harshly King. So we have no identifying genes, important for this vase traffic of basic tools. And we are not only interested by these interests interested, you are very interested you love the Zika trafficking, but also by extracellular vesicles. So it's also there are different vesicles that seems to be delivered outside the fungos. And notice people are now working on this type of vehicles as well, because they might also add a whole luck in the dialogue between the plan tend to focus, but it has a beginning and a lot of labs are also at the beginning of understanding the Ebola are these expensive love physicals and even the inefficacy doula physicals Speaker 1 18:50 So a vethical. I think of vethical really is sort of a balloon inside a fungal cell in which it might put pathogenicity back into extracellular vesicle is that that moved outside the cell IE is it still intact? Or does it rupture and deliver we have? Speaker 2 19:09 Mathias: to discover because it's not really well known and especially it's just that people they have seen these vesicles outside from the fungus and probably not only is forgoes they secrete vesicles probably all organisms secrete vesicles how outside and so what is the water for them and how are they produced and so we have to understand and everything is to now to be discovered. So in my team, we work on the easy extract Cid rabbinic Kosal Boatright this was the first work was to purify them and to identify as a component of these residuals. And the next step would be to identify the factors of this traffic Yeah. Speaker 1 20:00 Jim: It's exciting. So that's really from the bundle side is the plant we talked about communication between the plant and the fungus is that a two way communication or is it really just the fungus delivering molecules or Speaker 2 20:14 Mathias: biotic songhees that need to grow in life plans or even Amy biotrophic fogies at our first bio trough, and then they have a necrotrophic behaviors such as Boatright is there is really crosstalk so it is the two directions, especially the you know, the Fogo is plant wants to recognize the fungus, because she needs to, to see it as the problem and fight against it, that then the biotrophic fungus needs to hide from the plant. So there are a lot of strategies in this fog to be invisible from the plants. So they change their specialties, they can change their cell wall. And that's why I was also interested in cell wall biogenesis and sidewall biogenesis, as also to relate to secretion of vesicles. Because the enzymes that built the cell wall are coming with the vesicles. And so for us, it's really the main topic around that. And just to finish on the cross to toe, people were considering that Nicole will speak for me that just kill the plant, they don't need to have a cost or with the plant because they just kill the plant that inside it seems there is a very short stage where the like kind of small biotrophic faced event for these necrotic funghi. Whereas they don't want the plant to recognize them. And even in Boatright is we I don't decide some modification of the sidewall so that the four walls will not be recognized by the plants. So it's it's a crosstalk that I was thinking about Speaker 1 22:18 jim: That is just fascinating it, I love the way you characterize that, too. So it really interesting to see where that research has. Now you're working also with bare crop sciences, and I think you work pretty closely with them on some projects. Tell us a bit more about that. Speaker 2 22:35 Mathias: Yes, we my team is hosted in a laboratory from the bio crop science company. So it's a very close collaboration, my team, we are from the University of Lyons. So we are researchers and research assistant, or from the National Research Center in France called C and our s saw. And so this is an academic team that we're seeing in a private company. So it's not a situation you usually see in France, especially in biology. But it's really very interesting collaboration, very long collaboration. Because an interesting because they are doing applied research. And we are just doing a basic research. So it's pretty interesting for me as a teacher and researcher to see how can we deal with applied research and basic research. So we can give them some ideas, especially they are interested in finding alternative ways to fight against funghi. And so we had a nice communication about that. So this is a way we are functioning with wisdom. Speaker 1 23:59 Jim: Does that arrangement create any challenges for intellectual property? For example, if you discover something in your basic research, and you know, Speaker 2 24:09 Mathias: Yes everything is it's well framed with a contract. But it has never been a problem for us to publish. Because our research is really from them and thorough basic research. And so it was not a problem usually for them, that we publish our results. So I think that's wait works really easily. Like that. Yeah. Speaker 1 24:33 Jim: And what opportunities does this create for your students to explore industry career? Speaker 2 24:39 Mathias: I think it's nice for them to have both you because in fact when they work in our lab, they work with teachers from the university, but then I've also colleagues from buyer quite close to our lab, so they can see both type of working of labs, but in some of them after their PhD. Some of the Mo has the possibility to continue in postdoc imbiah. So, and so it's a good thing for them in their CV, I think so. Um, I think this type of collaboration should exist in should develop more in in France, because it's rare. It's not really something you will, you will see. Speaker 1 25:21 Jim: But one thing I like about the collaboration is the industry in general is very focused on putting science into action. And so many of us on the academic side do important research. But if it's not translated in essence of limited impact, Speaker 2 25:38 Mathias: Yeah. Yeah, I completely understand you with that, because when I was a PhD student, or even passed out, I was thinking, Okay, I'm doing research, but how that could help to fight against these diseases, plant diseases. And now the way that I am collaborating with the society, it's for me, it's you, I feel that maybe my results can help in fighting against these parasites. And we should make more connection, of course, between companies and between basic research between academic research show Speaker 1 26:18 Jim: Now you've mentioned a couple times, education, and being an educator, and you strike me as somebody very passionate about education. Tell me a bit more about teaching what teaching you do and why you care so much about it. Speaker 2 26:32 Mathias: Yeah, initially, I was planning to do just research having an adjuster research activity that has the opportunity to get a permanent position in the universe, you have your so then you have to teach. I discovered at that moment, when I was hired, how to teach to students. And I think that time after time, I liked it. I appreciate the contact with the students. And what I like in teaching and I like the diversity of students that I may have from undergrad great to post graduate students. And I'm mainly teach general microbiology. So it can be from bacteria identification of bacteria, to funghi. Also, for those of us who it's not specialized in plant pathology, but I have some courses in plant pathology. And recently, some of my colleagues from the University of Lyon, they created a new master in the interaction between plant and microorganisms. So it's a methodology but also symbiotic communication. And I integrated this new master in France in your so we hope it will be a success at a lot of students will participate to this new new master as Speaker 1 27:58 Jim: That's exciting. it certainly captures a growing aspect of the field of plant pathology, the idea of interactions between plants and let's say non pathogenic microbes. Yeah, as our field has grown, our understanding is widened. So, yes, exciting to see where that master's goes. Speaker 2 28:16 Mathias: Yeah. And you you see that people as to working on pathogenicity relations and or symbiotic relation between plants and microbes, they have to interact to each other because finally, when you look at the different molecular interactions, they are not so different, there are a lot of homology, so especially you know, I say that our had an interest in the crosstalk of the plants and the fungus at the sidewall of the fungus, especially it is the Katyn, you know the Katyn is components of the fungus Edward Katyn, it's like an antigenic molecule it's recognized by the plants as as bad the guy and but in sire in symbiotic communication between the fungus and the plants, then some foggy are able to produce small molecules of key things that are modified. And then plants do not recognize is modified kiting as a bad guy, but as a good guy. So it's funny to see that the evolution makes a different situation because we start with SkyTeam. But then in the first situation, it's it's recognized as a parasite and other partners as friends, so it's sunny. Yeah, it's Speaker 1 29:45 Jim: Incredible. So, Mathias, is there anything else you want listeners of playing topia didn't know. Speaker 2 29:51 Mathias: Yes, about prompt methodology. I would say that I was really happy to pay to see So many people attending the Congress. So I really hope that this will continue in the future with the ICPP, there will be next meeting in Australia. And I hope this event will be more and more recognized as an important meeting important moments for plant pathologist because I think it's a rare congress, where you can meet people in working in very different things that you're usually not seeing in other meetings. So it's the moment we speak about plant pathology. And we speak about important problems, especially food security. So another time topic of ICPP and ICPP Congress is food security. So you will see a lot of sessions about that. And we feel that food security is not always understood by plant pathologist, and we hope that this meeting will be also a way to explain to people why food security is so important, and how they, our research and their results could help for food security. So we also have some session on impact of research in counter theology for our society. Yes, I would say it's very, because, you know, my implication in the French phytopathology. So, so related to that, just to make people connecting to each other, even if they're from very different disciplines. Speaker 1 31:39 Jim: Great, very great note to end on. Mathias thank you so much for being on Plantopia. Unknown Speaker 31:45 Mathias: Thank you. Thank you very much, Jim. Speaker 1 31:48 We just heard from Professor Mathias Choquer, at the 12th annual International Congress of Plant Pathology in Lyon, France. I'm Jim Bradeen, the host of Plantopia. Thank you so much for listening.