NSF-BSF: Investigating the role of a tandem kinase-pseudokinase in plant defense

NSF-BSF：研究串联激酶-假激酶在植物防御中的作用

• 批准号: 1937855
• 负责人: Gitta Coaker
• 金额: $ 31.93万
• 依托单位: University of California-Davis
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2020-05-01 至 2025-03-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1937855&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: NSF; BSF; Investigating; role; tandem

Stripe rust is a devastating fungal disease that threatens global wheat production, with estimated global losses of around 1 billion dollars per year. Recently, the WTK1 gene was identified from a wild wheat relative that provides broad-spectrum resistance against the fungal pathogen causing stripe rust. Despite the importance of this disease, how WTK1 confers disease resistance remains unknown. This project will focus on identifying how WTK1 perceives the fungal pathogen causing stripe rust and signals inside wheat cells to confer disease resistance using cutting-edge protein-protein and genome editing technologies. A greater understanding of WTK1-mediated disease resistance will provide important mechanistic insight into signaling networks in plant disease resistance. A key goal of this project is to integrate research with the teaching and training of a diverse student body. As an NSF-BSF collaboration between Gitta Coaker and Tzion Fahima, funding will facilitate international US-Israel collaborations and opportunities for scientific training in both the US and Israel. The PI will also collaborate with a local middle school to develop hands-on plant laboratory modules that will utilize wheat genetics to illustrate the connection between genotype and phenotype. These laboratory modules will be implemented in the 7th grade science curriculum, will be inexpensive, sustainable, and reach 1,000 students during the course of the project. Stripe rust, caused by Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici (Pst), is a devastating fungal disease threatening global wheat production. The WTK1 resistance gene derived from wild emmer wheat provides broad-spectrum disease resistance against Pst. WTK1 encodes a protein with tandem kinase-pseudokinase domain architecture, which represents a novel protein family widespread across the plant kingdom. Experiments will investigate the importance of WTK1 domain architecture for conferring disease resistance to Pst as well as the identity of WTK1 associated proteins. RNAseq will be used to investigate wheat responses in resistant and susceptible wheat genotypes (+/- WTK1). Imporatant-WTK1 associated proteins and signaling nodes will be investigated using genome editing approaches for their importance in wheat disease resistance against Pst. Collectively, these studies will shed light into the function of a novel protein family and mechanisms controlling broad-spectrum disease resistance in monocots.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

条锈病是一种毁灭性的真菌疾病，威胁着全球小麦生产，估计每年全球损失约10亿美元。最近，WTK 1基因从野生小麦亲缘种中鉴定出来，该基因提供了对引起条锈病的真菌病原体的广谱抗性。尽管这种疾病的重要性，WTK 1如何赋予抗病性仍然未知。该项目将专注于确定WTK 1如何感知引起条锈病的真菌病原体以及小麦细胞内的信号，从而使用尖端的蛋白质-蛋白质和基因组编辑技术赋予抗病性。对WTK 1介导的抗病性的深入了解将为植物抗病性信号传导网络的研究提供重要的机制。该项目的一个主要目标是将研究与多样化学生的教学和培训相结合。作为Gitta Coaker和Tzion Fahima之间的NSF-BSF合作，资金将促进美国和以色列的国际合作以及在美国和以色列进行科学培训的机会。PI还将与当地一所中学合作开发实践植物实验室模块，该模块将利用小麦遗传学来说明基因型和表型之间的联系。这些实验室模块将在七年级的科学课程中实施，将是廉价的，可持续的，并在项目过程中达到1,000名学生。条锈病是由小麦条锈菌（Puccinia striiformis f.）小麦锈病是一种严重威胁全球小麦生产的真菌病害。野生二粒小麦WTK 1基因对Pst具有广谱抗病性。WTK 1编码一个具有串联激酶-假激酶结构域结构的蛋白质，代表了一个广泛分布于植物界的新蛋白质家族。实验将调查的重要性WTK 1域架构赋予抗病性Pst以及WTK 1相关蛋白的身份。 RNAseq将用于研究抗性和易感小麦基因型（+/-WTK 1）中的小麦响应。将使用基因组编辑方法研究重要的WTK 1相关蛋白和信号节点在小麦抗Pst病害中的重要性。总的来说，这些研究将揭示一个新的蛋白质家族的功能和控制单子叶植物广谱抗病性的机制。这个奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并已被认为是值得通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估的支持。