Johana Stadtel

Johana Stadtel is a Research Fellow at the University of Cologne's Institute for Plant Sciences, where she has been a core member of Prof. Gunther Döhlemann's Terrestrial Microbiology Group since October 2014. Her work focuses on molecular mechanisms of plant-pathogen interactions, particularly how maize defense responses are suppressed by the fungal pathogen Ustilago maydis through effector proteins like Pit2.

Her academic journey includes:

• Bachelor's studies in Biology and Microbiology at Los Andes University (Bogotá, Colombia)
• Diploma thesis in Microbiology and Molecular Biology at the University of Giessen under Prof. Gabriele Klug
• PhD research at the Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research (Cologne) supervised by Prof. Renier van der Hoorn, investigating plant proteasomes and vacuolar processing enzymes in pathogen defense

Stadtel's research centers on protease-mediated plant immunity, with expertise in activity-based protein profiling to track dynamic enzyme activities during infection. She has pioneered studies on how pathogens like Pseudomonas syringae and Ustilago maydis manipulate host proteolytic systems, revealing critical roles for vacuolar processing enzymes (VPEs) and apoplastic proteases in defense signaling. Her methodologies bridge biochemistry, molecular plant pathology, and chemical biology to dissect host-pathogen warfare at the enzymatic level.

Analysis of her 2008-2015 publications shows consistent innovation in protease profiling techniques applied across diverse pathosystems. Key trends include the discovery of bacterial proteasome inhibitors (Syringolin A), characterization of defense-induced protease dynamics in Nicotiana benthamiana and tomato, and elucidation of cysteine protease functions in immunity. Her work spans model organisms from Arabidopsis to crop plants, emphasizing translational insights into plant defense mechanisms.

Within the Terrestrial Microbiology Group, Stadtel leads investigations into maize-Ustilago maydis interactions, specifically examining how effector proteins inhibit apoplastic proteases to suppress immunity. Her research integrates biochemical assays, molecular genetics, and advanced imaging to map pathogen virulence strategies, contributing significantly to understanding plant immune suppression in agriculturally important systems.