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，它可能对重要作物造成重大损害，并限制产量。尖孢镰刀菌是一种真菌病原菌，已知对包括棉花在内的许多作物造成严重危害。近年来，由尖孢镰刀菌引起的棉花枯萎病暴发流行。美国南部一些州的血管感染(FOV)。该项目旨在更好地了解尖孢镰刀菌的进化和致病性，并寻找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群体和非洲科学家提供外联机会。通过使用尖端技术，该项目将增进我们对尖孢镰刀菌及其与寄主的相互作用的了解，最终可能导致更有效的疾病管理策略和增加作物产量。几年来，该团队收集了德克萨斯州一块自然感染的棉田的病原菌特征和种质筛选数据。基于这些数据，他们提出了关于尖孢镰刀菌的进化和致病性的假说，并获得了对真菌-宿主相互作用的分子见解。他们还创建了瞬变和稳定测试平台，以研究棉花功能的丧失和获得。该团队的目标是确定FOV和其他尖孢镰刀菌物种的遗传多样性、进化和致病性，并通过关联基因组学了解棉花对枯萎病的抗性机制。这项研究将采用系统的方法来了解病原菌毒力和寄主抗性在真菌和棉花的复杂基因组中的共同进化动力学。尖孢镰刀菌种复合体(FOSC)是一组具有不同寄主专一性的菌株，被定义为Formae Speciales。FOSC具有复杂的基因组结构，其核心染色体和副染色体可能与毒力和寄主专一性有关。这项拟议的研究将探索副染色体的进化动态及其在毒力和寄主专一性中的作用。该项目将提供对FOV-棉花相互作用的见解和对尖孢镰刀菌-宿主相互作用的更广泛的了解。该奖项反映了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。

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.