YIA-PGR: The Alternaria-Brassicaceae Pathosystem as a Model for Necrotrophic Fungal-Plant Interactions

由坏死性真菌引起的植物病害在世界范围内具有重要的经济意义，每年给农作物造成数百万美元的损失。与表现出生物营养生活方式的生物不同，坏死性真菌在定居之前通常通过分泌有毒物质来主动杀死宿主组织。抗病植物品种不能很好地控制坏死性病害。现代杀菌剂可以帮助控制坏死性病原体，但许多人认为这些化学物质在环境和经济上都是不可取的。该项目的最终目标是确定和开发针对这些类型的真菌病原体的改进的抗病策略。该项目致力于开发一种理想的模式病理系统，用于探索植物和坏死性真菌之间的相互作用。这一病理系统由十字花科植物和具有坏死性的、产生毒素的真菌--油菜链格孢菌中的部分物种组成。这个项目将通过首先鉴定一组与亲和相互作用相关的EST来加深我们对十字花科寄主-坏死性病原体关系的理解。利用拟南芥全基因组微阵列对病原菌诱导的抗性和感病寄主的防御反应进行比较基因组学研究，将对参与这些反应的特定基因和信号通路的作用给予关键的洞察。使用基因敲除突变的功能基因组学方法将被用来阐明该真菌的致病机制。将为这些信息创建一个可公开访问的数据库。该项目还包括一个主要的教育部分，包括一个外展计划，该计划将使用从这项研究获得的知识和材料作为对K-12学生进行基因组学教育的辅助。该项目将为本科生、研究生和博士后科学家提供教育和科学培训，并将重点纳入代表性不足的群体。

Plant diseases caused by necrotrophic fungi are of world wide economic importance and result in millions of dollars in crop losses annually. In contrast to organisms exhibiting a biotrophic lifestyle, necrotrophic fungi actively kill host tissue prior to colonization usually through the secretion of toxic substances. Necrotrophic diseases are not well controlled by resistant plant cultivars. Modern fungicides can help to control necrotrophic pathogens, but many consider these chemicals to be both environmentally and economically undesirable. The ultimate goal of this project is to identify and develop improved disease resistance strategies for these types of fungal pathogens. This project is focused on the development of an ideal model pathosystem for exploring interactions between plants and necrotrophic fungi. This pathosystem consists of select species found within the plant family Brassicaceae and the necrotrophic, toxin producing fungus, Alternaria brassicicola. This project will further our understanding of host-necrotrophic pathogen relationships in Brassicaceae by first identifying a set of ESTs related to a compatible interaction. A comparative genomics study of pathogen-induced defense responses in resistant and susceptible hosts will be performed using Arabidopsis full-genome microarrays and will give critical insight into the role of specific genes and signaling pathways involved in these responses. A functional genomics approach using knockout mutatgenesis will be performed to elucidate pathogenicity mechanisms in the fungus. A publicly accessible database for this information will be created. This project also includes a major educational component involving an outreach program that will use knowledge and materials obtained from this research as an aid in educating K-12 students about genomics. This project will provide education and scientific training to undergraduates, graduate students, and postdoctoral scientists and will focus on the inclusion of underrepresented groups.