Genetic Instability at a Complex Gene Cluster in Arabidopsis

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Intellectual Merit:Flowering plants contain clusters of repeated genes, many of which are involved in recognition of pathogens. The structures of these genes are often highly variable and a combination of forces drives the diversification among repeated pathogen recognition genes. This project investigates a unique situation in the model flowering plant, Arabidopsis thaliana (mouse-ear cress), where the divergence between duplicated copies of a pathogen recognition gene called SNC1 is extremely rapid. The project focuses on this particular model to define the molecular mechanisms responsible for the frequent birth-and-death of pathogen resistance genes in plants.Broader Impacts:The project contains three different elements that broaden its impact. First, the research addresses fundamental questions regarding the ways that genetic change and rapid evolutionary processes occur. The results of the research will also provide insight into the forces that diversify a plant's arsenal of genes devoted to protection against agricultural pests. The second broader impact of the project will be the training and mentoring of scientists at the postdoctoral, graduate and undergraduate levels. Finally, the project directly engages high school students in the central New York region in an authentic collaborative research project, connecting these students, as well as their teachers, with scientists at the Boyce Thompson Institute.