Host Range Expansion of the Fungus Atkinsonella hypoxylon Infecting Danthonia Grasses

这项拟议研究的目标是确定植物寄生真菌转移到以前不能感染的新植物物种的原因和后果。研究人员将进行几项实验，以确定向新寄主物种的转变是由真菌或植物的基因变化造成的，还是这种转变是否独立于基因变化而发生。初步结果表明，真菌的遗传变化使它们能够感染其他寄主物种。此外，他还将调查新的真菌/植物组合与旧的组合相比是如何相互适应的，特别是这种真菌对新寄主物种的致病力是否不同。本研究具有重要的基础和应用意义。以前对寄主/寄生虫相互作用的大多数研究都考虑到了历史上的关联。很少有研究考虑寄主和寄生虫之间的生物相互作用，在这种关系建立的早期，很可能发生重要的进化变化。这项研究将提供有关这一早期阶段的重要信息。这项研究还将对理解疾病生物如何获得感染以前对感染具有抵抗力的新宿主物种的能力具有重要的应用意义。艾滋病病毒从灵长类动物传播到人类就是一个例子，说明这一过程是多么重要。由于这项研究的寄主植物是草，这是我们最重要的一组农业植物，这项研究将有助于了解甚至预防玉米、水稻和小麦等农作物草的疾病流行。

The goal of the proposed research is to determine the causes and consequences of the shift by a plant parasitic fungus to new plant species that it could not infect previously. The investigator will conduct several experiments designed to determine whether the shift to new host species resulted from genetic changes in the fungi or the plants, or whether the shift occurred independently of genetic changes. Preliminary results suggests that genetic changes in the fungi allow them to infect additional host species. In addition, he will investigate how the new fungal/plant combinations are adapting to each other compared with the old combinations, particularly whether the fungus differs in its pathogenicity on the new host species. This research has important basic and applied significance. Most previous research on host/parasite interactions has considered association that are historically ancient. Little research has considered biological interactions between host and parasite in the early establishment of the relationship when important evolutionary changes are likely to occur. This research will provide significant information about this early stage. The research will also have important applied significance in understanding how disease organisms gain the ability to infect new host species that previously were resistant to infection. The movement of the AIDS virus from primates to humans is an example of how significant this process can be. Because the host plants in this study are grasses, our most important group of agricultural plants, this research will aid in understanding and perhaps preventing disease epidemics in crop grasses like corn, rice, and wheat.