ALD1-Dependent Signaling in the Plant Defense Response

植物对局部感染的反应是产生分子，这些分子可以传播到植物的不同部位，并启动多方面的防御计划。该计划使植物能够更好地抵御未来的感染。该实验室以前的工作确定了一种名为ALD 1的基因，它对激活防御程序很重要。ALD 1编码一种蛋白质，可以改变某些氨基酸的化学组成。这项研究的目的是验证这样一种假设，即修饰的氨基酸本身就是在植物中旅行并激活防御程序的分子，或者这些氨基酸是该过程中的中间步骤。目前的工作旨在确定与ALD 1一起激活防御的基因，并确定可能的修饰氨基酸和/或其他负责触发防御的代谢物。这项工作还试图确定ALD 1是否在不同类型的植物中具有类似的功能。智力价值：这项工作将作为理解植物如何防御疾病的模型。特别是，将鉴定防御反应途径的其他组分，确定潜在的新型信号分子的特性和/或身份，并探索不同植物防御功能的一般性。更广泛的影响：了解植物激活防御的途径可以使作物具有强大的抗病性。植物产生数百种代谢物，但关于它们在信号通路和植物保护中的作用的信息有限。这项工作可能会导致更好地了解一些代谢物的作用，并制定更好地了解其行动的方法。该项目的一个重要成果将是建立一个植物防御反应过程中诱导的代谢物公共数据库。该项目将为一名博士后学者，一名或多名本科生和至少一名高中生提供重要的培训机会。在这个实验室里培养了10名本科生，其中大部分人继续读研究生。其中包括8名妇女，其中4名是代表性不足的少数民族（非洲裔美国人和西班牙裔）成员。目前，一名高中生参与了重要的研究活动，作为另一个NSF资助项目的一部分。作为这项研究计划的一部分，实验室将继续积极地为代表性不足的群体和高中生提供研究机会。

Plants respond to a local infection by producing molecules that can travel to different parts of the plant and set in motion a multi-faceted program of defense. This program enables the plant to better fight off future infections. Previous work from this laboratory identified a gene called ALD1 that is important for activating the defense program. ALD1 codes for a protein that can alter the chemical make up of certain amino acids. This research aims to test the hypothesis that modified amino acids are themselves the molecules that travel in plants and activate the defense program or that these amino acids are an intermediate step in the process. The current work seeks to identify genes that act together with ALD1 to activate defenses and to identify possible modified amino acids and/or other metabolites responsible for triggering defenses. The work also seeks to ascertain whether ALD1 has a similar function in different types of plants. Intellectual merit: This work will serve as a model for understanding how plants defend themselves against disease. In particular, additional components of the defense response pathway will be identified, the properties and/or identity of a potential novel signal molecule(s) will be determined and the generality of defense functions in different plants will be explored.Broader impacts: Knowledge of the pathway through which plants activate defenses could enable the development of crop plants with robust disease resistance. Plants make hundreds if not more metabolites, but information about their roles in signaling pathways and plant protection is limited. This work could lead to a greater understanding of the role of some metabolites and to the development of approaches to better understand their actions. An important outcome of the project will be the creation of a public database of metabolites induced during the plant defense response. This project will involve significant training opportunities for a postdoctoral scholar, one or more undergraduates and at least one high school student. Ten undergraduates have been trained in this laboratory, most of who have gone on to graduate school. These include eight women, four of whom are members of underrepresented minorities (African-American and Hispanic). Currently, one high school student is involved in significant research activities as part of another NSF-funded project. The lab will continue aggressively offering research opportunities to members of underrepresented groups and high school students as part of this research plan.