OSIB: Co-evolutionary dynamics of pathogen virulence and host resistance: lessons from Fusarium oxysporum-infested cotton fields

随着世界人口的增长，农业面临着提高作物产量和质量的挑战。最大的障碍之一是作物病害，它会对重要作物造成重大损害并限制产量。尖孢镰刀菌（Fusarium oxysporum）是一种真菌病原体，已知会对包括棉花在内的许多作物造成严重损害。近年来，我国棉花枯萎病在我国大面积发生。oxysporum F. sp. vasinfectum（Fov）在美国南部的一些州。本项目旨在更好地了解F.并确定有助于保护作物的抗性基因。该项目还将为本科生和研究生提供植物基因组学和分子生物学方面的培训和教育机会，并为代表性不足的少数民族和非洲科学家提供外联机会。通过使用尖端技术，该项目将促进我们对F。几年来，该团队收集了德克萨斯州自然感染棉田的病原体特征和种质筛选数据。基于这些数据，他们提出了关于F.尖孢菌，并获得了真菌-宿主相互作用的分子见解。他们还创建了瞬时和稳定检测平台，以研究棉花功能的丧失和获得。该团队的目标是确定Fov和其他F.通过关联基因组学研究棉花对枯萎病的抗性机制。这项研究将采取系统的方法来理解真菌和棉花复杂基因组中病原体毒力和宿主抗性的共同进化动态。F.尖孢菌种复合体（FOSC）是一组具有不同寄主特异性的分离物，被定义为特变型（formae speciales）。FOSC具有复杂的基因组结构，具有核心染色体和辅助染色体，可能与毒力和宿主特异性相关。这项研究将探索辅助染色体的进化动力学及其在毒力和宿主特异性中的作用。该项目将提供深入了解Fov棉花相互作用和更广泛的理解F。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并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。

As the world population grows, agriculture faces challenges in increasing the yield and quality of crops. One of the biggest obstacles is crop diseases, which can cause significant damage to important crops and limit production. Fusarium oxysporum is a fungal pathogen that is known to cause severe damage to many crops, including cotton. Recently, there has been an outbreak of cotton Fusarium wilt caused by F. oxysporum f. sp. vasinfectum (Fov) in some southern U.S. states. This project aims to better understand the evolution and pathogenicity of F. oxysporum and to identify resistance genes that could help protect crops. The project will also provide opportunities for training and education in plant genomics and molecular biology for undergraduate and graduate students, as well as outreach opportunities for underrepresented minorities and African scientists. By using cutting-edge technologies, this project will advance our understanding of F. oxysporum and its interactions with hosts, which could ultimately lead to more effective disease management strategies and increased crop production.Over several years, the team has collected data on the pathogen characteristics and germplasm screens of a naturally infected cotton field in Texas. Based on this data, they have developed a hypothesis about the evolution and pathogenicity of F. oxysporum and gained molecular insights into the fungus-host interactions. They have also created platforms for transient and stable assays to study the loss and gain of function in cotton. The team aims to determine the genetic diversity, evolution, and pathogenicity of Fov and other F. oxysporum species and understand cotton's resistance mechanisms to Fusarium wilt through association genomics. The research will take a systems approach to understanding the co-evolutionary dynamics of pathogen virulence and host resistance in the complex genome of both the fungus and cotton. F. oxysporum species complex (FOSC) is a group of isolates with different host specificities, which are defined as formae speciales. FOSC has complex genome structures with core chromosomes and accessory chromosomes that may be associated with virulence and host specificity. The proposed research will explore the evolutionary dynamics of accessory chromosomes and their role in virulence and host specificity. The project will provide insights into Fov-cotton interactions and a broader understanding of F. oxysporum-host interactions.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.