RESEARCH-PGR: Exploring the genetic and mechanistic bases of quantitative disease resistance in maize

研究-PGR：探索玉米定量抗病性的遗传和机制基础

• 批准号: 2154872
• 负责人: Tiffany Jamann
• 金额: $ 150万
• 依托单位: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2022-08-15 至 2026-07-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2154872&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: RESEARCH; PGR; Exploring; genetic; mechanistic

Plant diseases cause an estimated 13% loss of global crop yields annually, reducing incomes and food quality/safety. Host resistance is the most effective method of managing plant diseases. Quantitative disease resistance is generally durable and usually works against all variants of pathogens, and thus is an effective disease management tool. This proposal aims to improve the understanding of quantitative disease resistance at multiple levels, from genes to tradeoffs at the whole plant level. The research will focus on some of the most important diseases of corn. The broader impacts of this proposal are twofold. First, the proposed research will identify disease resistance mechanisms in corn, which is both a model species for plant quantitative genetics and the most valuable crop in the US. These results directly relate to ongoing genetic improvement of corn and other important crop species. The second impact is through training of students and postdoctoral scholars during research activities and the education of high school students and teachers during outreach activities. This includes working with a specialist educational organization, The Science House at North Carolina State University. North Carolina State University will participate in and provide funds to continue and update a successful plant breeding and genetics workshop for science teachers that has run annually from 2013 to 2019, as well as participate in a residential Ag-Discovery camp for high school students. In addition, the researchers will engage high school students through the 4-H Illini Summer Academy and Discovering STEM in ACES at the University of Illinois. Quantitative disease resistance (QDR) is the most important form of resistance for maize and crops more broadly. Prior work by this research team and others has shown that QDR is based on diverse genes and mechanisms, most of which are not yet understood. Several quantitative trait loci and genes associated with resistance to multiple maize diseases have been previously identified and characterized. To further dissect disease resistance, as well as other traits, a large population of near-isogenic lines (NILs) has been developed and evaluated for resistance to several diseases. This proposal aims to exploit and develop these data and resources to expand the understanding of QDR and focuses on the following four objectives: 1) develop the NIL population as a resource for the maize genetics community; 2) study QDR, its mechanistic bases, and associated pleiotropies; 3) study the mechanistic bases of vascular disease resistance in maize using microscopy; and 4) identify QDR causal genes using fine mapping and gene editing. This effort will use an integrative approach incorporating genetics, genomics, transcriptomics, histology, pathology/microbiology, quantitative genetics, field research, and CRISPR- mediated gene-editing. Successful completion of this project is expected to result in the identification of key genes, mechanisms and tradeoffs that can inform the deployment of quantitative disease resistance in crops. Since many of the mechanisms under investigation in maize are likely to be broadly applicable, the proposed work will ultimately contribute to a holistic understanding of QDR with a focus on its application to improved crop production and resilience.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.

据估计，植物病害每年造成全球农作物产量损失13%，降低收入和食品质量/安全。寄主抗性是管理植物病害最有效的方法。定量抗病通常是持久的，通常对病原体的所有变种都有效，因此是一种有效的疾病管理工具。这一建议旨在从多个水平上提高对数量抗病的理解，从基因到整个植物水平的权衡。这项研究将集中在玉米的一些最重要的疾病上。这项提议的更广泛影响是双重的。首先，这项拟议的研究将确定玉米的抗病机制，玉米既是植物数量遗传学的模式物种，也是美国最有价值的作物。这些结果直接与玉米和其他重要作物物种正在进行的遗传改良有关。第二个影响是在研究活动期间对学生和博士后学者进行培训，在外联活动期间对高中生和教师进行教育。这包括与专业教育组织北卡罗来纳州立大学的科学之家合作。北卡罗来纳州立大学将参加并提供资金，继续并更新2013年至2019年每年为科学教师举办的成功的植物育种和遗传学讲习班，以及参加为高中生举办的住宿Ag-Discovery夏令营。此外，研究人员将通过4-H伊利诺伊暑期学校和在伊利诺伊大学发现ACES中的STEM来吸引高中生。数量抗病(QDR)是玉米和农作物最重要的抗病形式。这个研究小组和其他人之前的工作表明，QDR基于不同的基因和机制，其中大部分还不清楚。一些与玉米抗病相关的数量性状座位和基因已被鉴定和鉴定。为了进一步分析抗病和其他性状，已培育出一大批近等基因系(NILs)，并对几种疾病进行了抗性鉴定。这项建议旨在开发和利用这些数据和资源来扩大对QDR的理解，并集中在以下四个目标上：1)将近等位基因群体作为玉米遗传界的资源；2)研究QDR及其机制基础和相关的多向性；3)利用显微镜研究玉米抗维管束疾病的机制基础；以及4)利用精细定位和基因编辑来鉴定QDR原因基因。这项工作将使用一种综合的方法，包括遗传学、基因组学、转录学、组织学、病理学/微生物学、数量遗传学、实地研究和CRISPR介导的基因编辑。该项目的成功完成有望导致关键基因、机制和权衡的确定，这些基因、机制和权衡可以为作物数量抗病的部署提供信息。由于玉米研究中的许多机制可能广泛适用，拟议的工作最终将有助于对QDR的整体理解，重点是将其应用于提高作物产量和抗逆性。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。