Influence of Fatty Acid Desaturation on Plant Defenses Against Aphids

脂肪酸去饱和对植物防御蚜虫的影响

• 批准号: 0951287
• 负责人: Fiona Goggin
• 金额: $ 63.74万
• 依托单位: University of Arkansas
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2010
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2010-04-01 至 2015-03-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0951287&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Influence; Fatty; Acid; Desaturation; Plant

Aphids are a common pest of plants that feed on plant sap, reducing crop yields and frequently transmitting plant-pathogenic viruses. Cultivation of crop varieties that are resistant to aphids is one of the most effective and environmentally sustainable approaches to aphid pest management. However, our ability to develop such cultivars is hampered by our limited knowledge of the genes and biochemical pathways that control how resistant or susceptible plants are to aphids and other sap-feeding pests. The goal of this project is to investigate how fatty acids in plants may regulate plant defenses against aphids. The investigators have determined that in two different plant species (tomato and Arabidopsis), mutations that cause loss of function of a particular fatty acid desaturase (FAD7) also dramatically inhibit aphid infestation. Thus, FAD7 appears to be a common regulator of plant susceptibility to aphids. Loss of function of FAD7 causes dramatic changes in the fatty acid composition of the foliage, and likely also alters production of a diverse array of oxylipins, a family of compounds derived from fatty acids. In tomato, mutation of FAD7 also appears to enhance accumulation of salicylic acid, a plant hormone known to mediate plant defenses against many pathogens. An emerging body of evidence indicates that fatty acids in plants regulate salicylic acid-dependent defenses and pathogen resistance, but the underlying mechanisms are not yet well-understood. This project will use molecular and biochemical approaches to investigate how fatty acids, salicylic acid, and specific oxylipins contribute to plant defenses against aphids, and how fatty acids regulate salicylic acid signaling. Ultimately, this project should enhance our understanding of plant defense and contribute to economically sustainable pest management. In addition, it will provide training for undergraduate and graduate students and postdoctoral researchers, as well as internship opportunities for K12 science teachers.

蚜虫是一种常见的植物害虫，以植物汁液为食，降低作物产量并经常传播植物病原病毒。 种植抗蚜虫的作物品种是蚜虫虫害管理的最有效和环境可持续的方法之一。 然而，我们开发这些品种的能力受到我们对控制植物对蚜虫和其他食汁液害虫的抗性或易感性的基因和生化途径的有限知识的阻碍。 这个项目的目标是研究植物中的脂肪酸如何调节植物对蚜虫的防御。 研究人员已经确定，在两种不同的植物物种（番茄和拟南芥）中，导致特定脂肪酸去饱和酶（FAD 7）功能丧失的突变也显着抑制蚜虫侵染。 因此，FAD 7似乎是植物对蚜虫易感性的常见调节剂。FAD 7功能的丧失会导致叶子脂肪酸组成发生巨大变化，并且可能还改变了多种氧化脂（一系列源自脂肪酸的化合物）的产生。 在番茄中，FAD 7的突变似乎也增强了水杨酸的积累，水杨酸是一种已知介导植物防御许多病原体的植物激素。 一个新的证据表明，植物中的脂肪酸调节水杨酸依赖的防御和病原体抗性，但其潜在的机制还没有得到很好的理解。 该项目将使用分子和生物化学方法来研究脂肪酸，水杨酸和特定的氧脂素如何有助于植物防御蚜虫，以及脂肪酸如何调节水杨酸信号。 最终，该项目将提高我们对植物防御的理解，并有助于经济上可持续的害虫管理。 此外，它还将为本科生、研究生和博士后研究人员提供培训，并为K12科学教师提供实习机会。