The Cellular and Molecular Bases of Penetration Resistance to Fungal Pathogens in Arabidopsis

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

Plant diseases have a devastating impact on agricultural production and food supply every year. In response to pathogen attack, most plants however, have evolved physical and chemical defenses to ward off attempted invasions. On the plant surface, pathogen penetration attempts are often met by targeted cell wall appositions (CWAs) formed by the deposition of additional cell wall materials such as lignin, callose and structural proteins. Penetration resistance has long been recognized as one of the most prominent facets of plant basal defense responses. Several loci involved in the penetration resistance have recently been identified including major PENETRATION (PEN) genes (PEN1, PEN2, and PEN3). However, the cellular pathways underlying the biosynthesis and deposition of cell wall materials at the pathogen penetration site remain largely unknown. My research program has been devoted to understanding the molecular and cellular mechanisms of penetration resistance in the model plant Arabidopsis and crop species against fungal pathogen attack. We have recently shown that cellular trafficking regulated by the actin cytoskeleton mediates CWAs and contributes to the penetration resistance. The objectives of the proposed research are: (a) to elucidate biochemical and molecular pathways that contribute to CWAs at the pathogen penetration site, (b) to understand cellular trafficking mechanisms that coordinate transport and deposition of cell wall materials at pathogen penetration sites, and (c) to uncover molecular components that are involved in the regulation of dynamic rearrangement of the actin cytoskeleton in host cells in response to pathogen attack. We will apply molecular biology, cell biology, biochemistry, genetics, and genomics approaches along with high throughput and classical plant pathology techniques to achieve these objectives. This research will lead to significant advances in the understanding of plant defense mechanisms against pathogen attack. My research program will also provide valuable insights into designing strategies for the generation of durable disease resistant crops against a broader spectrum of plant pathogens.