[Lecture] The Proposal and Practice of the “Contact-Dependent Regulation” Biocontrol Concept

Lecturer: Qian Guoliang (Nanjing Agricultural University)

Date: October 12, 2025 (Sunday)

Time: 9:00-11:00 a.m.

Venue: Conference Room, Fifth Floor, Eastern Office Building

Report Content: It was traditionally believed that biocontrol bacteria primarily suppressed pathogens by secreting antibiotics or other antimicrobial metabolites into the environment, a process not requiring direct cell-to-cell contact. The proposal of the “contact-dependent regulation” biocontrol concept has reshaped the traditional understanding of microbial competition strategies. Biocontrol bacteria utilize contact-dependent secretion systems, primarily the Type VI Secretion System (T6SS), to inject effector proteins directly into pathogenic microbes upon contact, thereby inhibiting or killing them. Current research confirms that this T6SS-mediated contact inhibition mechanism is widespread among various biocontrol bacteria, such as Pseudomonas and other genera. This concept provides a novel perspective and direction for biological control, potentially reducing reliance on antimicrobial substances and minimizing environmental residue and resistance risks. It establishes a theoretical foundation for developing a new generation of highly efficient biopesticides based on the “contact-dependent killing” principle.

Introduction to the Speaker: Qian Guoliang is a Tier-3 Professor and Doctoral Supervisor at the College of Plant Protection, Nanjing Agricultural University. He earned his Ph.D. from Nanjing Agricultural University’s College of Plant Protection in 2009 and subsequently served as a visiting scholar at the University of Wyoming and the University of Nebraska. In 2023, he was elected a Fellow of the Chinese Society for Plant Pathology. His research primarily focuses on the biocontrol mechanisms of Lysobacter. In this field, he has led six National Natural Science Foundation of China projects, including a Key Project of the Joint Fund for Regional Innovation and Development. He has published 35 SCI papers as the first author or corresponding author in renowned journals such as PNAS, ISME J, and Nucleic Acids Research.

Source: NYNU Academic Activities (Chinese)

https://www.nynu.edu.cn/info/1048/30555.htm