2015年6月15日，美国弗吉尼亚大学Mike Timko教授来我校开展北京大学现代农业系列讲座，本次的主题为Uncovering New Gene Targets Regulating Secondary Metabolism and Stress Responses in Plants.

Mike Timko教授在本次现代农业系列讲座上为北大师生系统阐释了Striga。Striga,commonly known as witchweed, is a genus of parasitic plants that occur naturally in parts of Africa, Asia, and Australia. Some species are serious pathogens of crop cereals, causing considerable crop losses with the greatest effects being in savanna agriculture in Africa. Research in Dr. Timko’s lab is conducted at the cellular and organismal level using a wide range of biochemical, molecular, and genomic approaches to understand the molecular components and signaling pathways that govern the interaction of Striga with their host species. Through comparative functional genomics, host defense components and parasite virulence effectors underlying compatible and incompatible host-parasite association have been identified. These studies also included an examination of the evolution of parasitism in the Orobanchaceae as a way of determining what makes parasitism in angiosperms an attractive life-history option and the implications in managing Striga as pathogens.

       Mike Timko教授还与李磊教授实验室进行了学术交流。