Molecular, genetic, and biochemical characterization of oleate-regulated defense gene expression in plants

核酸、蛋白质和植物激素通常在植物信号转导途径中起着关键的调节作用。我们的研究证明了脂肪酸（FA）作为信号分子的独特和以前未定义的作用。我们已经证明单不饱和脂肪酸油酸（18:1）介导拟南芥和大豆的防御信号。具体来说，18:1水平的降低可诱导植物中多种抗性基因的表达。反过来，R基因的这种全局诱导赋予了对多种病原体的广谱疾病抗性。本项目旨在阐明植物中18:1衍生的R基因表达和防御激活调控的分子和生化机制。这将通过表征直接结合18:1的蛋白质来实现。该项目不仅有助于阐明这种新的18:1介导的途径，而且可能为R基因与低18:1介导的信号传导之间的网络提供有用的见解。这里得到的结果可以应用于许多其他系统的信号网络，因为潜在的生化活动在各种植物物种中都是保守的，而且18:1是植物和动物都必需的单不饱和脂肪酸。知识价值。表征18:1调节途径将有助于阐明新的，迄今为止尚未研究的植物防御机制。这项工作将提供关于脂肪酸的调节作用的关键信息，除了它们作为能量储存的传统作用。它还可以重新定义我们目前对已知防御信号通路的理解，并为代谢和防御信号之间的复杂网络提供重要见解。拟南芥的研究成果将适用于遗传易感程度较低的作物，并可能帮助我们开发成本较低、对环境和人类健康危害较小的替代疾病控制方法。更广泛的影响。深入了解植物代谢和防御途径之间的复杂网络是开发新的疾病保护策略的关键。本研究获得的信息有可能应用于重要经济作物的广谱抗病工程。因此，从这项研究中获得的知识最终将提高作物生产力。此外，18:1还影响哺乳动物系统中几个重要的生理过程。例如，18:1影响心脏和血管平滑肌细胞的收缩活动，是成人呼吸应激综合征引起肺水肿的原因，并以其癌症保护能力而闻名。因此，了解植物中18:1衍生的信号也可能为人类疾病过程提供见解。这项研究将包括本科生、研究生和博士后的培训，并通过分享思想和材料来加强研究基础设施。研究人员的目标是培养一个由本科生组成的社区，特别是那些来自传统上代表性不足的群体的学生，将他们纳入他们的科学团队。他们还计划将他们的研究与肯塔基大学现有的推广服务相结合，以提高农民和农业综合企业代表对作物抗性最新进展的认识。

Nucleic acids, proteins and phytohormones have routinely been assigned key regulatory roles in plant signal transduction pathways. Our studies demonstrate a unique and previously undefined role for fatty acids (FA) as signaling molecules. We have shown that the monounsaturated FA, oleic acid (18:1), mediates defense signaling in Arabidopsis and soybean. Specifically, a reduction in the levels of 18:1 induces the expression of a variety of resistance (R) genes in plants. In turn, this global induction of R genes confers broad-spectrum disease resistance against multiple pathogens. This project aims to elucidate the molecular and biochemical mechanisms underlying the 18:1-derived regulation of R gene expression and defense activation in plants. This will be achieved by characterizing proteins that directly bind 18:1. The project would not only help elucidate this novel 18:1-mediated pathway, but will likely provide useful insights into networking between R gene and low 18:1-mediated signaling. Results obtained here could be applied to signaling networks in many other systems, since the underlying biochemical activities are conserved amongst a variety of plant species and 18:1 is an essential monounsaturated fatty acid in plants and animals alike. Intellectual Merit. Characterization of the 18:1-regulated pathway will help elucidate novel, hitherto uninvestigated mechanisms of plant defense. This work will provide critical information about the regulatory role of fatty acids in addition to their traditional role as energy reservoirs. It could also redefine our current understanding of known defense signaling pathways as well as provide important insights into the complex networking between metabolic and defense signaling. Research findings from Arabidopsis will be applicable to less genetically tractable crop plants, and may help us to develop alternative disease controls that are less costly and less harmful to the environment and human health. Broader Impacts. Critical insights into the complex networking between metabolic and defense pathways in plants are key to developing novel disease protection strategies. The information obtained here could potentially be applied for engineering broad-spectrum disease resistance in economically important crop plants. Therefore, knowledge obtained from this study will eventually increase crop productivity. Furthermore, 18:1 is also known to affect several vital physiological processes in mammalian systems. For example, 18:1 affects the contractile activity of heart and vascular smooth muscle cells, is the cause of pulmonary edema induced in adult respiratory stress syndrome, and is well known for its cancer protective abilities. Thus, understanding 18:1-derived signaling in plants is likely to provide insights into disease processes in humans as well. This research will incorporate training of undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral students, and enhance the research infrastructure through sharing of ideas and materials. The investigators aim to foster a community of undergraduate students, particularly those from traditionally underrepresented groups, by including them as members of their scientific team. They also plan to integrate their research with the extension services available at the University of Kentucky to enhance awareness of the recent advances in crop resistance among farmers and agribusiness representatives.