Molecular mechanisms underlying temperature modulation of defense responses

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"This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5)."Moderate temperature variations have large effects on various plant processes including defense responses. Often, an elevated growth temperature above the norm renders an otherwise resistant plant susceptible to pathogens. This project aims at revealing the molecular mechanisms underlying the inhibition of defense responses by elevated temperature. Recent studies from these investigators have identified disease resistance (R) proteins as a temperature-sensitive component in defense responses. That a higher temperature reduces the accumulation of the NB-LRR type of R proteins in the nucleus might be one common basis for temperature sensitivity in defense responses. This project will use molecular genetic approaches to generate and test models and hypotheses on temperature sensitivity on R proteins. It will also isolate and characterize genes regulating temperature sensitivity of defense responses. Results coming from this project will shed light on the molecular basis of adaptive responses to moderate temperature variations in plants as well as activation of R proteins, an essential step in disease resistance regulation. Knowledge gained from this project will potentially have applications in coping with temperature fluctuations and global climate changes through crop improvement by enhancing the capacities of plant defense responses in a wide range of temperatures. This project will provide a broad training for postdoctoral fellows, graduate students, and undergraduate students in research and teaching.