Priming in Arabidopsis Systemic Acquired Resistance

在受到某些微生物的感染后，植物对随后的各种致病因子的感染具有更强的抵抗力。这种现象的特征被称为系统性获得性抗性（SAR），通过开发环境友好和可持续的方法来保护作物免受疾病的侵害，具有巨大的社会影响。在之前nsf赞助的项目中，SAR被发现与防御启动有关，通过增加植物代谢物（称为壬二酸）的产生和长距离运输。当植物因暴露于壬二酸而被激活时，它们会更快地激活它们的防御，当新的感染随之而来时，它们的防御水平也会更高。目前的更新项目旨在利用遗传学，生物化学和分子生物学来(1)研究植物细胞的启动状态特征(2)发现哪些植物成分对壬二酸的产生和作用是重要的。这项研究将产生重要的新知识，可用于制定作物保护战略。具体来说，这项研究将辨别出启动状态与组蛋白变化的关联程度，组蛋白与遗传物质结合，使特定基因容易被部署用于防御激活。该研究还将确定sar相关成分在由壬二酸激活的启动途径中的位置和作用方式。该项目将为一名博士后以及被招募的本科生和高中生提供良好的教育机会。

Upon infection with certain microbes, plants become more resistant to subsequent infections with a broad spectrum of disease-causing agents. Characterization of this phenomenon, called systemic acquired resistance or SAR, has great societal impact through the development of environmentally friendly and sustainable methods for protecting crop plants from disease. In the previous NSF-sponsored project, SAR was found to be associated with defense priming through the increased production and long distance transport of a plant metabolite called azelaic acid. When plants are primed due to exposure to azelaic acid, they activate their defenses more quickly and to higher levels when a new infection ensues. The current renewal project aims to use genetics, biochemistry and molecular biology to (1) examine the characteristics of the primed state of plant cells and (2) discover which plant components are important for the production and action of azelaic acid. This research will result in the creation of essential new knowledge that can be exploited for crop protection strategies. Specifically, the research will discern the degree to which the primed state is associated with changes in proteins called histones that bind genetic material and enable specific genes to be readily deployed for defense activation. The research will also define where and how SAR-associated components act in the priming pathway activated by azelaic acid. The project will provide excellent educational opportunities for a postdoctoral fellow as well as under-represented undergraduate and high school students who will be recruited to the project.