Community Genomics of Local Adaptation in Medicago Truncatula

主要研究者：Sergey Nuzhdin，南加州大学合作研究员：Eric von Wettberg，加州大学戴维斯分校豆科植物，包括农业上重要的大豆、苜蓿、豌豆和菜豆，与根瘤菌合作将大气中的氮转化为生物可用的氨。这种特性使豆科植物能够在边缘栖息地定居，并为研究共同进化如何促进对压力环境的适应提供了一个理想的系统。模式豆科植物蒺藜苜蓿（Medicago truncatula）是苜蓿的近亲，在北非的高盐土壤和正常土壤中自然生长。该研究项目将与突尼斯和法国的研究人员合作，利用基因组资源来了解苜蓿及其合作伙伴中华根瘤菌如何适应盐碱土壤。本研究的主要目标是确定基因和遗传和生物化学网络之间的生理盐水适应和非适应人群的生态差异。通过测量这些基因和网络在植物所经历的自然条件下的影响，这项研究具有独特的潜力，可以弥合遗传学，生态学和进化。土壤盐碱化是一个日益严重的问题，有可能影响全球三分之一的农业用地。因此，了解包括盐度在内的非生物因素如何影响共生效率是发达国家和发展中国家农业面临的一个重要挑战。 由于蒺藜苜蓿是一个模式物种，在这项研究中确定的基因和途径将直接适用于育种工作，以改善许多农业上重要的豆类和更广泛的植物生物学作为一个整体。该项目的跨学科和洲际性质进一步提供了一个特殊的培训机会。该项目将整合突尼斯和美国的团队-由公共（加州大学戴维斯分校）和私人（南加州大学）机构的慷慨匹配资金促进-通过合作在突尼斯进行实地实验和通过人员交流。突尼斯的学生和学者将在美国的机构，他们将在那里从事研究，进行个性化定制的课程，并使接触，这将刺激他们的专业成长。美国本科生和研究生将通过实践研究经验，个人指导项目以及参加北非研讨会和会议的机会受益。本研究产生的所有数据将在http://nlab.usc.edu上公开。该项目网站将向公众开放，提供已发布的数据和项目最新情况。基因分型阵列，以及收集的基因型和表型数据将作为一个社区资源，使未来的工作苜蓿。这项研究的结果将发表在同行评审的开放获取期刊上，供美国和非洲媒体查阅，并由小组的初级成员在地球仪的国际会议上介绍。

PI: Sergey Nuzhdin, University of Southern CaliforniaCo-PI: Eric von Wettberg, University of California, DavisLegume plants, including the agriculturally important species soybean, alfalfa, pea, and bean, collaborate with rhizobium bacteria to convert atmospheric nitrogen to biologically available ammonia. This property has enabled legumes to colonize marginal habitats and provides an ideal system to study how coevolution promotes adaptation to stressful environments. The model legume Medicago truncatula is a close relative of alfalfa and grows naturally in both highly saline soils across North Africa as well as on normal soils. In collaboration with Tunisian and French researchers, this research project will use genomic resources to understand how Medicago and its partner Sinorhizobium have adapted to saline soil. The main goal of this research is to identify both the genes and the genetic and biochemcial networks that underlie ecological differences between saline-adapted and non-adapted populations. By measuring the effects of these genes and networks under the natural conditions that plants experience, this research has the unique potential to bridge genetics, ecology, and evolution. Statement broader impacts Soil salinisation is a growing problem with the potential to impact up to one third of agricultural land world-wide. Thus, understanding how abiotic factors, including salinity, impact symbiotic efficiency represents an important challenge for agriculture both in the developed and developing world. Since Medicago truncatula is a model species, the genes and pathways identified in this research will be directly applicable to breeding efforts to improve many agriculturally important legumes and more broadly to plant biology as a whole. The interdisciplinary and inter-continental nature of this project further provides an exceptional training opportunity. This project will integrate Tunisian and American teams-facilitated by generous matching funds from public (UC Davis) and private (USC) institutions-by cooperatively performing field experiments in Tunisia and through the exchange of personnel. Tunisian students and scholars will be hosted at the US institutions where they will engage in research, undertake individually-tailored coursework, and make contacts that will spur their professional growth. American undergraduate and graduate students will benefit via hands-on research experience, individual mentored projects, and the opportunity to participate in workshops and conferences in North Africa. All data generated by this research will be made publicly available at http://nlab.usc.edu. The project website will be publicly accessible with released data and project updates. The genotyping array, and the genotype and phenotype data collected will serve as a community resource enabling future work on Medicago. The results of this research will be published in peer-reviewed open-access journals, made accessible to the American and African media, and presented by junior members of the team at international meetings across the globe.