The Role of Receptor Like Cytoplasmic Kinase Mediated Signaling in Plant Responses to Necrotrophic and Biotrophic Pathogens

坏死型病原体是通过诱导植物宿主细胞死亡（坏死）而引起疾病的真菌和细菌物种。在这个项目中，将研究调节宿主对坏死性病原体反应的分子和细胞机制。拟南芥的葡萄孢诱导激酶（BIK1）基因是植物防御反应的重要调控因子。缺乏BIK1的植物显示对坏死营养型真菌病原体灰葡萄孢和芸苔链格孢的敏感性增加，但显示对细菌病原体假单胞菌的抗性增加。这些研究结果表明，BIK1控制防御反应的生物营养型和坏死营养型病原体最终在不同的反应，使BIK1研究防御途径之间的相互作用的理想目标。已经建立了介导对活体营养型和坏死营养型病原体的抗性的防御途径之间的拮抗相互作用。然而，这些拮抗相互作用的分子机制和遗传控制仍然知之甚少。通过研究BIK1功能及其信号中间体，该项目提供了对抗感染所需的细胞因子以及不同抗病机制如何相互作用的新知识。该项目的具体目标旨在阐明BIK 1的功能。BIK1和拟南芥防御的其他组件之间的遗传相互作用将被研究，以确定BIK1在抗病性中的整体作用。此外，BIK1调节防御途径的组分将被鉴定并确定其功能。知识将产生的植物分子因子，信号坏死营养病原体传播的信号，以及这些信号如何达到分子靶点，以激活或抑制抗病性。该项目提供本科生、研究生和研究生级别的培训机会，以提高植物科学方面的技术技能。将在社区论坛上介绍旨在提高公众对生物技术在作物改良中的作用的认识的活动。该项目还将培训来自科学领域代表性不足的群体的学生。

Necrotrophic pathogens are fungal and bacterial species that cause diseases by inducing cell death (necrosis) in their plant hosts. In this project, the molecular and cellular mechanisms that regulate host response to necrotrophic pathogens will be studied. The Botrytis-induced kinase (BIK1) gene of Arabidopsis was identified as an important regulator of plant defense responses. Plants lacking BIK1 show increase susceptibility to necrotrophic fungal pathogens Botrytis cinerea and Alternaria brassicicola but show increased resistance to the bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas syringae. These findings suggest that BIK1 controls defense responses to biotrophic and necrotrophic pathogens culminating in distinct responses, making BIK1 an ideal target for investigating the interactions between defense pathways. Antagonistic interactions between defense pathways mediating resistance to biotrophic and necrotrophic pathogens have been established. However, the molecular mechanisms and the genetic control of these antagonistic interactions are still poorly understood. By studying BIK1 function and its signaling intermediates, this project provides new knowledge on cellular factors required to fight infections and how different disease resistance mechanisms interact. The specific objectives in this project are designed to elucidate the functions of BIK1. The genetic interactions between BIK1 and other components of the Arabidopsis defense will be studied to determine the overall role BIK1 in disease resistance. In addition, the components of the BIK1 regulated defense pathway will be identified and their function determined. Knowledge will be generated on plant molecular factors that signal necrotrophic pathogen borne signals and how these signals reach molecular targets to activate or repress disease resistance. This project provides training opportunity at the undergraduate, graduate and post graduate levels to enhance technical skills in the plant sciences. Activities designed to increase public awareness on the role of biotechnology in crop improvement will be presented at community forums. The project will also train students from groups underrepresented in science.