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PD Dr. Jens Boch

Institute of Biology, Dept. of Genetics
Martin- Luther- University
Halle- Wittenberg
PD Dr. Jens Boch
Weinbergweg 10
D- 06120 Halle (Saale)
Germany

Phone: +49- 345- 552 6292
Fax: +49- 345- 552 7151
E-mail: jens.boch@genetik.uni-halle.de

Publications 2012

Nau-Wagner, G., Opper, D., Rolbetzki, A., Boch, J., Kempf, B., Hoffmann, T., and Bremer, E. (2012) Genetic control of osmoadaptive glycine betaine synthesis in Bacillus subtilis through the choline-sensing and glycine betaine-responsive GbsR repressor. J. Bacteriol. in press

Publications 2011

Yu, Y., Streubel, J., Balzergue, S., Champion, A., Boch, J., Koebnik, R., Feng, J.-X., Verdier, V., and Szurek, B.(2011) Colonization of rice leaf blades by an African strain of Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae depends on a new TAL effector which induces the rice nodulin-3Os11N3 gene. Mol. Plant-Microbe Interact. 24, 1102-1113.

Geißler, R., Scholze, H., Hahn, S., Streubel, J., Bonas, U., Behrens, S.-E., and Boch, J. (2011) Transcriptional activators of human genes with programmable DNA-specificity. PLoS ONE 6, e19509.

Boch, J. (2011) TALEs of genome targeting. Nat. Biotechnol. 29, 135-136

Scholze, H. and Boch, J. (2011) TAL effectors are remote controls for gene activation. Curr. Opin. Microbiol. 14, 47-53

Publications 2010

Morbitzer, R., Römer, P., Boch, J., and Lahaye, T. (2010) Regulation of selected genome loci using de novo-engineered transcription activator-like effector (TALE)-type transcription factors. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 107, 21617-21622.

Scholze, H. and Boch, J. (2010) TAL effector-DNA specificity. Virulence 1, 1-5.

Boch, J. and Bonas, U. (2010) Xanthomonas AvrBs3 family-type III effectors: discovery and function. Annu. Rev. Phytopathol. 48, 419-436.

Römer, P., Recht, S., Strauß, T., Elsaesser, J., Schornack, S., Boch, J., Wang, S., and Lahaye, T. (2010) Promoter elements of rice susceptibility genes are bound and activated by specific TAL effectors from the bacterial blight pathogen, Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae. New Phytol. 187, 1048-1057.

Publications 2009

Boch J, Scholze H, Schornack S, Landgraf A, Hahn S, Kay S, Lahaye T, Nickstadt A, Bonas U (2009)
Breaking the code of DNA-binding specificity of TAL-type III effectors.
Science (in press) http://www.sciencemag.org/content/326/5959/1509.abstract?ijkey=qDIkUUCboP0Xk&keytype=ref&siteid=sci   

Boch, J. (2009)
The art of manipulation: bacterial type III effectors and their plant targets.
In Plant pathogenic bacteria: genomics and molecular biology, R.W. Jackson, ed (Norwich, UK: Caister Academic Press), pp. 241-271.
Link to Plant Pathogenic Bacteria: Genomics and Molecular Biology - Book   

Publications 2006

Krause, A., Ramakumar, A., Bartels, D., Battistoni, F., Bekel, T., Boch, J., Böhm, M., Friedrich, F., Hurek, T., Krause, L., Linke, B., McHardy, A.C., Sarkar, A., Schneiker, S., Syed, A.A., Thauer, R., Vorhölter, F.J., Weidner, S., Pühler, A., Reinhold-Hurek, B., Kaiser, O., Goesmann, A. (2006)
Complete genome of the mutualistic, N₂-fixing grass endophyte Azoarcus sp. strain BH72.
Nat. Biotechnol. 24, 1385-1391.
Link to abstract on PubMed   
Link to abstract on Nat. Biotechnol.

   Landgraf, A., Weingart, H., Tsiamis, H., and Boch, J. (2006)
Different versions of Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC3000 exist due to the activity of an effector transposon.
Mol. Plant Pathol. 7, 355-364.
Link to abstract on Mol. Plant Pathol.   

de Torres, M., Mansfield, J., Grabov, N., Brown, I.R., Ammouneh, H., Tsiamis, G., Forsyth, A., Robatzek, S., Grant, M., and Boch, J. (2006)
Pseudomonas syringae effector AvrPtoB suppresses basal defence in Arabidopsis.
Plant J. 47, 368-382.
Link to abstract on PubMed   
Link to abstract on Plant J.   

Publications 2005

Thieme, F., Koebnik, R., Bekel, T., Berger, C., Boch, J., Büttner, D., Caldana, C., Gaigalat, L., Goesmann, A., Kay, S., Kirchner, O., Lanz, C., Linke, B., McHardy, A. C., Meyer, F., Mittenhuber, G., Nies, D. H., Niesbach-Klösgen, U., Patschkowski, T., Rückert, C., Rupp, O., Schneiker, S., Schuster, S. C., Vorhölter, F., Weber, E., Pühler, A., Bonas, U., Bartels, D., Kaiser, O. (2005)
Insights into genome plasticity and pathogenicity of the plant pathogenic bacterium Xanthomonas campestris pv.vesicatoria revealed by the complete genome sequence.
J. Bacteriol. 187, 7254-7266.
Link to abstract on PubMed   
Link to abstract on J. Bacteriol.

   Kay, S., Boch, J., and Bonas, U. (2005)
Characterization of AvrBs3-like effectors from a Brassaceae pathogen reveals virulence and avirulence activities and a protein with a novel repeat architecture.
Mol. Plant-Microbe Interact. 18, 838-848.
Link to abstract on PubMed   
Link to abstract on Mol. Plant-Microbe Interact. (pdf-document)

   Kabisch, U., Landgraf, A., Krause, J., Bonas, U., and Boch, J. (2005)
Type III secretion chaperones ShcS1 and ShcO1 from Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC3000 bind more than one effector.
Microbiology 151, 269-280.
Link to abstract on PubMed   
Link to abstract on Microbiology   

Publications 2003

Boch, J., Landgraf, A., Krause, J., Kunkel, B.N., and Bonas, U. (2003)
Identification of virulence factors from Pseudomonas syringae.
In Pseudomonas syringae and related pathogens, N.S. Iacobellis, A. Collmer, S.W. Hutcheson, J.W. Mansfield, C.E. Morris, J. Murillo, N.W. Schaad, D.E. Stead, G. Surico, and M.S. Ullrich, eds (Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Kluwer Academic Publishers), pp. 225-231.
Link to text (pdf-document)

Publications 2002

Jackson, R.W., Mansfield, J.W., Ammouneh, H., Dutton, L.C., Wharton, B., Ortiz-Barredo, A., Arnold, D.L., Tsiamis, G., Sesma, A., Butcher, D., Boch, J., Kim, Y.J., Martin, G.B., Tegli, S., Murillo, J., and Vivian, A.(2002)
Location and activity of members of a family of virPphA homologues in pathovars of Pseudomonas syringae and P. savastanoi.
Mol. Plant Pathol. 3, 205-216.
Link to abstract on Mol. Plant. Pathol.   

Boch, J., Joardar, V., Gao, L., Robertson, T.L., Lim, M., and Kunkel, B.N. (2002)
Identification of Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato genes induced during infection of Arabidopsis thaliana.
Mol. Microbiol. 44, 73-88.
Link to abstract on PubMed   
Link to abstract on Mol. Microbiol.   

Publications 2001

Boch, J., and Bonas, U. (2001)
Gram-negative plant pathogenic bacteria.
In Emerging Bacterial Pathogens, I. Mühldorfer and K.P. Schäfer, eds (Basel: Karger), pp. 186-196.
Link to text (pdf-document)

Publications 1994-2000

2000

Ullrich, M.S., Schergaut, M., Boch, J., and Ullrich, B. (2000)
Temperature-responsive genetic loci in the plant pathogenPseudomonas syringae pv. glycinea.
Microbiology 146, 2457-2468.
Link to abstract on PubMed   
Link to abstract on Microbiology

   Nennstiel, D., Boch, J., and Bonas, U. (2000)
Bakterielle Phytopathogenese - Xanthomonas als Modellorganismus.
Biospektrum 6, 23-26.

Chen, Z., Kloek, A.P., Boch, J., Katagiri, F., and Kunkel, B.N. (2000)
The Pseudomonas syringae avrRpt2 gene product promotes pathogen virulence from inside plant cells.
Mol. Plant-Microbe Interact. 13, 1312-1321.
Link to abstract on PubMed   
Link to abstract on Mol. Plant-Microbe Interact.   

1999

Nau-Wagner, G., Boch, J., Le Good, J.A., and Bremer, E. (1999)
High-affinity transport of choline-O-sulfate and its use as a compatible solute in Bacillus subtilis.
Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 65, 560-568.
Link to abstract on PubMed   
Link to abstract on Appl. Environ. Microbiol.

   Kappes, R.M., Kempf, B., Kneip, S., Boch, J., Gade, J., Meier-Wagner, J., and Bremer, E. (1999)
Two evolutionarily closely related ABC transporters mediate the uptake of choline for synthesis of the osmoprotectant glycine betaine in Bacillus subtilis.
Mol. Microbiol. 32, 203-216.
Link to abstract on PubMed   
Link to abstract on InterScience   

1998

Hettwer, U., Jaeckel, F.R., Boch, J., Meyer, M., Rudolph, K., and Ullrich, M.S. (1998)
Cloning, nucleotide sequence, and expression in Escherichia coli of levansucrase genes from the plant pathogensPseudomonas syringaepv. glycinea and P. syringae pv. phaseolicola.
Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 64, 3180-3187.
Link to abstract on PubMed   
Link to abstract on Appl. Environ. Microbiol.

   Boch, J., Verbsky, M.L., Robertson, T.L., Larkin, J.C., and Kunkel, B.N.(1998)
Analysis of resistance gene-mediated defense responses in Arabidopsis thaliana plants carrying a mutation in CPR5.
Mol. Plant-Microbe Interact. 11, 1196-1206.
Link to Mol. Plant-Microbe Interact.   

1997

Boch, J., Nau-Wagner, G., Kneip, S., and Bremer, E. (1997)
Glycine betaine aldehyde dehydrogenase from Bacillus subtilis: characterization of an enzyme required for the synthesis of the osmoprotectant glycine betaine.
Arch. Microbiol. 168, 282-289.
Link to abstract on PubMed   
Link to abstract on SpringerLink   

1996

Boch, J., Kempf, B., Schmid, R., and Bremer, E. (1996)
Synthesis of the osmoprotectant glycine betaine in Bacillus subtilis: characterization of the gbsAB genes.
J. Bacteriol.. 178, 5121-5129.
Link to abstract on PubMed   
Link to abstract on J. Bacteriol.   

1994

Boch, J., Kempf, B., and Bremer, E. (1994)
Osmoregulation in Bacillus subtilis: synthesis of the osmoprotectant glycine betaine from exogenously provided choline.
J. Bacteriol. 176, 5364-5371
Link to abstract on PubMed   
Link to abstract on J. Bacteriol.   

Patents

Bonas U, Boch J, Schornack S and Lahaye T (2010) Modular DNA-binding domains and methods of use.

Scientific Career

Research

Research focus
Bacterial pathogenicity is based on the interaction between two living cells of different kingdoms of life. The prokaryote aims to acquire nutrients essential for its proliferation whereas the eukaryote protects its goods and the integrity of its cells. The bacterial type III secretion system (Hrp) of many pathogenic bacteria is a sophisticated tool to manipulate eukaryotic cells, because it facilitates the direct transport of bacterial virulence proteins (effectors) into host cells. Gram-negative bacteria like Pseudomonas syringaeor Xanthomonas carry more than 30 different effector genes which play a pivotal role in the pathogenicity of the bacteria. The molecular activities of most of these effectors are still unknown.

1. Molecular function of effectors.

The first part of our research aims at understanding the molecular function of effector proteins from plant pathogenic bacteria.
The plant-pathogen systems we work on are among the best studied systems today. The partners, Arabidopsis and P. syringae pv. tomato(Pto) DC3000 are fully sequenced and enable the use of a large array of molecular tools. In addition, we use Arabidopsis as a host for Xanthomonasinfections. The Xanthomonas campestris pvs.armoraciae (Xca) and raphani (Xcr) cause leaf spot disease on Arabidopsis. We use the molecular advantages of Arabidopsis to study effector functions from both plant-pathogen systems, P. syringae and Xanthomonas.

Research topics. (1) Molecular function of type III effectors (blue ball) from P. syringae and Xanthomonas. The influence of effectors on the plant cell, their subcellular localization in planta, and plant virulence targets (green ball) are studied. (2) Molecular activity of TAL effectors which enter the plant nucleus and modify gene expression. (3) Analysis of type III secretion (TTS) chaperones. Interaction of TTS-chaperones (purple) with the TTS system (red) and their effector targets is analysed.

2. Recognition specificity of TAL effectors.

TAL effectors from Xanthomonas carry eukaryotic features to induce expression of target host genes. After translocation to the plant cell, TAL effectors enter the plant nucleus where they bind to target promoters and induce expression of genes via an acidic activation domain (AD). The recognition of target DNA sequences is mediated by a central repeat domain in TAL effectors. Each repeat recognizes one base pair on the DNA while specificity is controlled by two amino acids per repeat. Different types of repeats recognize different DNA base pairs and different TALs contain a different number and arrangement of repeats. We use the modular nature of the repeat region to design artificial TAL effectors with any DNA-recognition specificity.

3. Analysis of TTS chaperones.

The third part of our research is centered on the mechanism of effector secretion through the TTS system. Several effectors rely on specific TTS chaperones for secretion while others seem to be secreted without these. We analyze the contribution of TTS chaperones for the secretion of effectors and determine the molecular basis of their tight substrate specificity. The studies are focused on a chaperone-effector pair from Pto (Kabisch et al., 2005). The ShcS1 chaperone has the unique capability to interact specifically not only with one, but with two effectors, HopS1 and HopO1, which share very low similarities. These dual specificity of a TTS chaperone is very rare and offers the possibility to study its binding specificities.

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