Genetic characterization of the triticum-stagonospora nodorum pathosystem

植物病害对加拿大的大田和园艺作物造成重大经济损失，影响到从生产者到消费者的整个加拿大经济。直接的经济损失源于植物产品的数量和质量下降，但间接损失源于病原体产生的影响人类和动物健康的毒素。真菌病原体引起了大多数植物疾病，并且已经进化出不同的策略来成功感染它们的植物宿主。一种策略是坏死，真菌在真菌入侵之前或期间杀死宿主组织。从死去的寄主组织中提取营养物质供真菌生长和繁殖。毒素的产生是坏死性真菌发病机制的关键决定因素。这项研究计划的长期目标是揭示坏死性真菌病原体和它们的植物宿主之间相互作用的分子基础。本研究将以小麦-结节状stagonospora nodorum的病理系统作为模型病理系统。nodorum（同名Septoria nodorum，远形菌Phaeosphaeria nodorum）是加拿大小麦（普通小麦）和小麦亚种durum（硬粒小麦）常见的一种坏死性病原体，引起斑叶病stagonospora nodorum blotch （SNB）。该项目的主要目标是：1)鉴定与小麦（S. nodorum）致病机制相关的真菌基因；2)鉴定小麦耐SNB基因。结合连锁和关联制图策略将用于研究宿主-病原体相互作用的遗传学。连锁定位是一种强大的遗传分析方法，在植物和真菌遗传研究中得到了广泛应用。关联定位是一种广泛应用于人类和动物遗传研究的新型基因定位方法。这些研究将深入了解坏死性病原体的毒力和致病性的遗传基础，并识别和表征宿主的抗性基因。这些信息将促进这一学科的科学知识，并在抗病作物的育种中得到应用。

Plant diseases cause significant economic losses to field and horticultural crops in Canada, affecting the entire Canadian economy from producers to consumers. Direct financial losses result from decreased quantity and quality of plant produce, but indirect costs can result from pathogen-produced toxins that affect human and animal health. Fungal pathogens cause the majority of plant diseases and have evolved different strategies for successfully infecting their plant hosts. One strategy is necrotrophy, where the fungus kills host tissue before or during fungal invasion. Nutrients are extracted from the dead host tissue for fungal growth and reproduction. The production of toxins is a key determinant of pathogenesis for necrotrophic fungi. The long-term goal of this research program is to uncover the molecular basis of interactions between necrotrophic fungal pathogens and their plant hosts. The Triticum-Stagonospora nodorum pathosystem will be used in this research as a model pathosystem. S. nodorum (synonym Septoria nodorum, teleomorph Phaeosphaeria nodorum) is a common necrotrophic pathogen of Triticum aestivum (common wheat) and Triticum turgidum subspecies durum (durum wheat) in Canada, and causes the leaf spotting disease stagonospora nodorum blotch (SNB). The main objectives of this program are: 1) the identification of the fungal genes involved in the pathogenesis of Triticum species by S. nodorum and 2) identification of Triticum genes conferring SNB resistance. A combination of linkage and association mapping strategies will be used to study the genetics of host-pathogen interactions. Linkage mapping is a robust genetic analysis method that has been widely applied in plant and fungal genetic research. Association mapping is a novel gene mapping approach used extensively in human and animal genetic research. These studies will provide insight into the genetic basis of virulence and pathogenicity of a necrotrophic pathogen, and identify and characterize resistance genes in the host. This information will advance scientific knowledge in this discipline and has applications in breeding of disease resistant crops.