Systems Biology Approach to Tomato Fruit Susceptibility to a Necrotrophic Fungus

安·L·T·鲍威尔提案#0544504TITLE：系统生物学方法研究番茄果实对坏死性真菌的敏感性成熟番茄果实与真菌病原菌灰霉病菌之间的关系将由合作实验室进行研究，这些实验室结合了植物生物学、生物化学、生物技术、碳水化合物化学和病理学方面的互补专业知识，从而为有效的综合系统生物学方法提供了技能和资源。灰霉菌是一种重要的植物病原菌；它侵染植物的所有地上部分，但众所周知，它对水果具有侵袭性，导致灰霉和腐烂，导致美味和成熟的新鲜水果和蔬菜的大量损失。本研究将调查番茄果实对该真菌的抗性和敏感性。在成熟过程中，果实经历了一个关键的发育转变，从未成熟、绿色、对真菌的抗性或耐受性，到成熟、红色和容易受到真菌的损害。中心假设是，绿色水果对灰霉菌的反应是独特的，可能与红色水果以及植物的叶和茎部分不同，这种反应在成熟的水果中发生变化，以鼓励真菌分解果实，并允许成熟种子的传播。这项研究的见解将有助于开发生产诱人、安全、健康的水果和蔬菜供人类食用的方法。其目的是确定(1)由灰霉菌在果实中激活的反应，(2)促进该真菌腐烂水果的成熟过程，以及(3)受成熟影响的灰霉菌的功能。这项研究将包括博士、硕士和本科生研究人员的培训计划，并将涉及与南非研究人员的合作。与美国农业重要地区的一个社区科学中心合作，将开发一个互动展示，直接向包括小学生在内的公众传达使用具有农业意义的转基因植物的研究结果。

ABSTRACTPI: Ann L.T. Powell PROPOSAL # 0544504TITLE: Systems biology approach to tomato fruit susceptibility to a necrotrophic fungusThe association between ripening tomato fruit and the fungal pathogen, Botrytis cinerea, will be studied by collaborating laboratories, which combine complementary expertise in plant biology, biochemistry, biotechnology, carbohydrate chemistry and pathology, and thus provide the skills and resources for an efficient integrative systems biology approach. B. cinerea is an important plant pathogen; it infects all the aerial parts of plants but is notoriously aggressive on fruit, causing grey mold and rotting that lead to significant losses of palatable and ripe fresh fruit and vegetables. The research will investigate the resistance and susceptibility of tomato fruit to the fungus. During ripening, fruit undergo a crucial developmental transition from being unripe, green, and resistant to or tolerant of the fungus, to being ripe, red, and susceptible to damage by the fungus. The central hypothesis is that green fruit respond uniquely to B. cinerea, perhaps differently from red fruit and from the leaf and stem parts of the plant, and that this response changes in ripe fruit to encourage the fungus to break down the fruit and permit dispersal of mature seeds. Insights from this research will contribute to the development of methods for producing attractive, safe, healthy fruit and vegetables for human consumption. The objectives are to identify (1) responses activated in fruit by B. cinerea, (2) ripening processes that facilitate rotting of fruit by the fungus, and (3) functions of B. cinerea that are influenced by ripening. This research will include training programs for PhD, Masters and undergraduate student researchers and will involve collaboration with researchers in South Africa. In cooperation with a community science center in an important region of US agriculture, an interactive display will be developed to communicate directly to the public, including elementary school students, results of the research using agriculturally significant transgenic plants.