Research Initiation Award: Mechanisms of Heat-Induced Loss of Host Plant Resistance to Insects

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The Historically Black Colleges and Universities-Undergraduate Program (HBCU-UP) Research Initiation Awards (RIAs) provide support to STEM junior faculty at HBCUs who are starting to build a research program, as well as for mid-career faculty who may have returned to the faculty ranks after holding an administrative post or who need to redirect and rebuild a research program. Faculty members may pursue research at their home institution, at an NSF-funded Center, at a research intensive institution or at a national laboratory. The RIA projects are expected to help further the faculty member's research capability and effectiveness, to improve research and teaching at his or her home institution, and to involve undergraduate students in research experiences. With support from the National Science Foundation, Fayetteville State University (FSU) will conduct research aimed at understanding host plant (wheat; Triticum aestivum) and parasite (Hessian fly; Mayetiola destructor) interactions. This project will greatly improve the quality of undergraduate research and education in biological Sciences and the four-year graduation rate at FSU which is currently less than 20%. In addition, results from this study may help wheat breeders develop wheat cultivars to enhance the production of the agriculture industry and benefit the rural community in the U.S. Therefore, this study may have a major impact on society since wheat is an important food crop in the US and the world and the Hessian fly is one of the most destructive pests of wheat in North America and North Africa. The goal of the proposed study is to reveal the molecular mechanism of heat-induced loss of plant resistance using wheat-Hessian fly interaction as a model. The specific objectives of the proposed research are to: 1) determine the impact of heat stress on interactions between different wheat resistance genes (R genes) and Hessian fly biotypes; 2) examine heat-induced genome-wide changes in gene expression in wheat using high throughput molecular technologies, and 3) identify genes and pathways that possibly contribute to the heat-induced loss of wheat resistance. The findings from the research will enhance understanding of the molecular mechanism of the heat-induced loss of resistance in plants and co-evolution between host plants and parasites. This project will be conducted in collaboration with faculty from North Carolina State University.