NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology FY 2021: Role of Transposable Elements and DNA Methylation on Immunity Gene Regulation and Diversification in Maize and Model Setaria viridis

本行动资助2021财年美国国家科学基金会植物基因组生物学博士后研究奖学金。该奖学金支持奖学金获得者在主办实验室的研究和培训计划，该奖学金获得者还提出了扩大生物学参与的计划。安德鲁·里德的研究和培训计划的标题是“转座因子和DNA甲基化在玉米和模式单子叶草的免疫基因调控和多样化中的作用”。该奖学金的主办机构是明尼苏达大学，赞助科学家是Nathan b施普林格博士。虽然植物能够抵御许多致病生物，但当病原体成功感染植物时，结果可能是毁灭性的。侵袭性病原体可导致森林中树种的丧失和农业系统中作物的损失。这个项目将提高我们对单个植物如何感知和应对病原体的理解。此外，该研究将研究允许植物种群快速进化出多种免疫基因的遗传特征。与该领域之前的许多工作不同，该项目将侧重于禾本科植物的免疫，禾本科植物包括许多我们最重要的主要作物，如水稻、玉米和小麦。总的来说，这项研究将使这些重要作物的育种和发展具有更好的抗病能力。这三个研究目标中的每一个都为更广泛的植物科学界提供了资源。在项目过程中，研究员将从一组跨学科科学家那里获得技术和领导技能，并将在有意义的研究经历中指导几名本科生。此外，该研究员还将通过由博士后和研究生领导的“市场科学”项目参与社区外展活动，提供家庭友好型科学教育。植物缺乏适应性免疫系统，而是编码一系列快速进化的免疫基因。越来越清楚的是，转座因子（TEs）和DNA甲基化影响这些免疫基因的进化和表达。拟南芥（Arabidopsis thaliana）的研究为我们对TEs、DNA甲基化和免疫基因生物学的理解奠定了基础，然而，我们最重要的作物植物是单子叶草，这一群体在1.25亿年前从双子叶植物中分化出来。该项目将结合对不同玉米群体中TE、DNA甲基化和免疫基因关联的描述性研究，并使用CRISPR/Cas基因敲除和转基因单子叶蛇尾草（Setaria viridis）的胁迫报告系对这些关联进行机制测试。这些数据和工具将有助于更好地了解单株植物对生物胁迫的反应，并为抗病品种的开发和部署提供信息。当提交给开放获取的科学期刊时，研究结果将在预印本服务器上共享。在项目过程中产生的质粒将与Addgene一起储存，转基因和编辑的植物将可用。关键词：植物免疫，表观遗传学，转座因子，黄尾草，抗病性该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并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，被认为值得支持。

This action funds an NSF Plant Genome Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology for FY 2021. The fellowship supports a research and training plan in a host laboratory for the Fellow who also presents a plan to broaden participation in biology. The title of the research and training plan for this fellowship to Andrew Read is “The role of transposable elements and DNA methylation on immunity gene regulation and diversification in maize and the model monocot Setaria viridis.” The host institution for the fellowship is the University of Minnesota and the sponsoring scientist is Dr. Nathan Springer.Although plants are able to fend off many disease-causing organisms, when a pathogen successfully infects a plant the results can be devastating. Aggressive pathogens can result in loss of tree species in forests and crop loss in agricultural systems. This project will improve our understanding of how individual plants sense and respond to pathogens. Additionally, the research will examine the genetic features that allow plant populations to rapidly evolve diverse sets of immunity genes. Unlike much prior work in this field, this project will focus on plant immunity in the grasses, a group of plants that includes many of our most important staple crops such as rice, corn, and wheat. Altogether, this research will empower the breeding and development of improved disease resistance in these important crops. Each of the three research objectives generates a resource for the broader plant science community. Over the course of the project, the Fellow will receive technical and leadership skills from a group of interdisciplinary scientists and will in turn mentor several undergraduates during meaningful research experiences. Further, the Fellow will engage in community outreach via Market Science, a program led by post-docs and graduate students to provide family-friendly science education. Plants lack an adaptive immune system and, instead, encode a diverse suite of rapidly evolving immunity genes. It is becoming increasingly clear that transposable elements (TEs) and DNA methylation influence the evolution and expression of these immunity genes. Research on the model dicot Arabidopsis thaliana has been foundational in our understanding of TEs, DNA methylation, and immunity gene biology, however many of our most important crop plants are monocot grasses, a group that diverged from dicots over 125 million years ago. This project will combine a descriptive study of TE, DNA methylation, and immunity gene associations in a diverse maize population with mechanistic testing of these associations using CRISPR/Cas gene knockouts and transgenic stress-reporter lines of the model monocot Setaria viridis. These data and tools will enable a better understanding of monocot responses to biotic stress and inform the development and deployment of disease resistant cultivars. Results of research will be shared on pre-print servers when submitted to open-access scientific journals. Plasmids generated over the course of the project will be deposited with Addgene and transgenic and edited plants will be made available.Keywords: plant immunity, epigenetics, transposable elements, Setaria viridis, disease resistanceThis 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.