Parasitic Castration and the Population Biology of the Fungus Atkinsonella Hypoxylon

DEB-9509123 CLAY 这项拟议中的研究将调查寄生虫在操纵宿主生殖系统时所获得的优势。 这种真菌，Atkinsonella hypoxylon，感染了整个北美东部的草Danthonia spicata（贫穷草）。 这种寄生虫阻止它的宿主与其他植物交配，迫使它只能通过自花受精来繁殖。 这种真菌通过孢子或自花受精种子的感染传播。 本研究的目的是测试这些不同的真菌繁殖机制对真菌繁殖成功的相对重要性，并确定寄生虫对宿主繁殖的操纵所导致的遗传变化。 这项研究的结果将揭示宿主的遗传特性如何影响其对寄生的易感性。 这为推进我们在农学方面的努力以开发抗虫害作物提供了巨大的希望。 寄生虫的传播模式也是非常感兴趣的，因为它似乎发挥了核心作用，在发展较少的破坏性主机/寄生虫的关系。 许多重大的人类疾病具有相同的传播模式。 通过将寄生虫的主要传播方式从接触性传播改变为传播给宿主后代，有可能降低人群中寄生虫感染的严重程度。

DEB-9509123 CLAY The proposed research will investigate the advantages gained by a parasite when it manipulates the reproductive system of its host. The fungus, Atkinsonella hypoxylon, infects the grass Danthonia spicata (poverty grass) throughout eastern North America. The parasite prevents its host from mating with other plants and forces it to reproduce only by self-fertilization. The fungus spreads contagiously by spores or by the infection of self-fertilized seeds. The objectives of this research are to test the relative importance of these different mechanisms of fungal reproduction on fungal reproductive success and to determine the genetic changes that result from the parasite's manipulation of host reproduction. The results of this research will reveal how the genetic identity of the host affects its susceptibility to parasitism. This offers great promise in advancing our efforts in agronomy for the development of pest-resistant crops. The mode of parasite transmission is also of great interest because it appears to play a central role in the development of less damaging host/parasite relationships. Many significant human diseases have the same pattern of transmission. By altering the primary mode of transmission of the parasite from contagious spread to transmission to host offspring, it may be possible to reduce the severity of parasite infections in human populations.