Our lab has resolved the cryo-electron microscopy structure of chitin synthase from the devastating soybean root rot pathogenic oomycete Phytophthora sojae (PsChs1), revealed the complete process of chitin biosynthesis for the first time, and elucidated the mechanism by which the active small molecule nikkomycin is able to inhibit chitin biosynthesis.( Nature 610, 402–408 (2022)).

Our lab determined the crystal structures and inhibitors of Vd PDA1 and Pst_13661, which are derived from soil-borne and air-borne phytopathogenic fungal CDAs, respectively, and represent two major sources of agricultural pathogenic fungi. We obtained benzohydroxamic acid (BHA), a lead compound, by structure-guided screening, which showed high activity against diseases in cotton, wheat, and soybean caused by V. dahliae  and four other top 10 fungal plant pathogens for molecular plant pathology, namely P. striiformis  f. sp. tritici , F. oxysporum , Fusarium graminearum , and Rhizoctonia solani . Our study not only provides the structural features of phytopathogenic fungal CDAs but also identifies CDA inhibitors that are promising for controlling plant diseases. ( Nat. Commun . 14, 3857 (2023))