The farmers rather guess not.

「枝枯病會奪走栗樹嗎？

It keeps smouldering at the roots

農人寧可猜測不會。

And sending up new shoots

栗樹的根不斷地鬱結

Till another parasite

並送出新枝

Shall come to end the blight."

直到另一種寄生物

At the beginning of the 20th century,

前來終結枝枯病。」

the eastern American chestnut population, counting nearly four billion trees,

二十世紀初，

was completely decimated by a fungal infection.

美國東部有將近四百萬棵栗樹，

Fungi are the most destructive pathogens of plants,

因真菌感染而全數滅亡。

including crops of major economic importance.

真菌是世界上最具 毀滅性的植物病原體，

Can you imagine that today,

重要經濟作物也深受其害。

crop losses associated with fungal infection

你能想像現在

are estimated at billions of dollars per year, worldwide?

和真菌感染有關的作物損失

That represents enough food calories to feed half a billion people.

每年全球估計有數十億美元嗎？

And this leads to severe repercussions,

換算成食物熱量能滿足五億人。

including episodes of famine in developing countries,

真菌感染會造成嚴重的後果，

large reduction of income for farmers and distributors,

包含在發展中國家引起饑荒、

high prices for consumers

農夫和批發商收入大幅減少、

and risk of exposure to mycotoxin, poison produced by fungi.

消費者必須高價購買，

The problems that we face

以及曝露在由真菌產生的 黴菌毒素的風險中。

is that the current method used to prevent and treat

我們面臨到的問題

those dreadful diseases,

是現在用來預防和處理

such as genetic control, exploiting natural sources of resistance,

那些致命疾病的方法，

crop rotation or seed treatment, among others,

例如遺傳控制、 開發抵抗真菌的天然資源，

are still limited or ephemeral.

輪作或種子處理等等，

They have to be constantly renewed.

這些做的都還是有限且不夠持久。

Therefore, we urgently need to develop more efficient strategies

處理方式必須不斷更新。

and for this, research is required to identify biological mechanisms

所以我們迫切需要 發展更有效的策略，

that can be targeted by novel antifungal treatments.

因此研究必須能辨識出

One feature of fungi is that they cannot move

能以新型抗真菌法對抗的生物機轉。

and only grow by extension to form a sophisticated network,

真菌的特色是無法移動，

the mycelium.

而且只能透過擴展生長， 進而形成複雜的網絡，

In 1884, Anton de Bary, the father of plant pathology,

稱為菌絲體。

was the first to presume that fungi are guided by signals

1884 年，植物病理學之父狄伯瑞

sent out from the host plant,

率先提出真菌依靠訊號引導的假設，

meaning a plant upon which it can lodge and subsist,

此訊號來自它的寄主植物，

so signals act as a lighthouse

這意味著發訊號的植物 可以供給食宿，

for fungi to locate, grow toward, reach

所以訊號扮演像燈塔的角色，

and finally invade and colonize a plant.

為真菌定位、提供發展和延伸方向，

He knew that the identification of such signals

最後入侵並定殖於某植物。

would unlock a great knowledge that then serves to elaborate strategy

他知道辨識出這種訊號

to block the interaction between the fungus and the plant.

能解開一大知識庫之謎，

However, the lack of an appropriate method at that moment

之後能藉此規畫出 阻擋真菌和植物交流的策略。

prevented him from identifying this mechanism at the molecular level.

然而，當時欠缺適合的方法，

Using purification and mutational genomic approaches,

因此他未能在分子層級 辨識出這種機轉。

as well as a technique

透過純化和突變基因的方式，

allowing the measurement of directed hyphal growth,

加上一種技術，

today I'm glad to tell you that after 130 years,

能測量出被引導的菌絲生長，

my former team and I could finally identify such plant signals

今天我很高興能告訴大家， 在 130 年後，

by studying the interaction between a pathogenic fungus

我與之前合作的團隊 終於能辨識出這種植物訊號，

called Fusarium oxysporum

我們透過研究一種病原菌 和植物的互動，

and one of its host plants, the tomato plant.

即尖孢鐮刀菌，

As well, we could characterize

和此菌的一種寄主植物 ──蕃茄植株。

the fungal receptor receiving those signals

同樣的，我們也能描繪出

and part of the underlying reaction occurring within the fungus

真菌用來接收那些訊號的接收器、

and leading to its direct growth toward the plant.

在真菌中的部分潛在反應，

(Applause)

以及它朝植物直接生長的位置。

Thank you.

（掌聲）

(Applause)

謝謝。

The understanding of such molecular processes

（掌聲）

offers a panel of potential molecules

了解這種分子過程

that can be used to create novel antifungal treatments.

能提供潛在的分子平臺，

And those treatments would disrupt

用來創造新的抗真菌處理方式。

the interaction between the fungus and the plant

那些處理方式會中斷

either by blocking the plant signal

真菌和植物之間的交流，

or the fungal reception system which receives those signals.

透過阻隔植物發出的訊號，

Fungal infections have devastated agriculture crops.

或是阻隔真菌接受訊號的系統來做到。

Moreover, we are now in an era

真菌感染摧毀了農作物。

where the demand of crop production is increasing significantly.

而且我們正處於

And this is due to population growth, economic development,

需要大幅提升糧食產量的時代，

climate change and demand for bio fuels.

以因應人口成長、經濟發展、

Our understanding of the molecular mechanism

氣候變遷和對生物燃料的需求。

of interaction between a fungus and its host plant,

我們對分子機轉的了解，

such as the tomato plant,

對真菌和寄主植物之間的互動，

potentially represents a major step towards developing more efficient strategy

例如和蕃茄植株之間的互動，

to combat plant fungal diseases

可能是很重要的關鍵，

and therefore solving of problems that affect people's lives,

讓我們能發展更有效的策略 來抵抗植物的真菌病，

food security and economic growth.

進而解決影響人類生活的問題、

Thank you.

糧食安全和經濟成長的問題。

(Applause)

謝謝。