Arabidopsis 2010: Mechanisms of NB-LRR disease resistance protein function

植物有一个复杂的免疫系统，在分子方面与人类非常不同，但具有相同的一般目的：识别和应对病原体感染。植物病原体引起的疾病导致每年高达30%的作物损失，这通常是在向作物添加所需的淡水之后，尽管使用化学品来控制感染。因此，了解植物免疫系统如何工作，以“帮助植物自助”将导致节省大量的淡水，并导致环境可持续的农艺措施。该项目符合2009年NSF拟南芥2010年计划的呼吁标题（2）适应环境。这项研究将“确定拟南芥基因和基因网络的功能，这些基因和基因网络参与植物对环境的反应和对生物或非生物条件的适应。”“该项目涉及植物免疫系统细胞内受体的控制。结合遗传学（正向和反向），生物化学和细胞生物学的多学科方法将用于了解这些受体，称为NB-LRR蛋白，如何组装成预激活，信号能力状态，并定义它们如何在感染后特异性激活。更广泛的影响：越来越详细的植物免疫系统的功能，以减轻损失的看法是从一个社区的重点应用拟南芥在植物病理学的重要问题。参考植物物种拟南芥（Arabidopsis thaliana）可用于研究与农艺学相关的几乎所有类别的病原体。因此，该项目的更广泛影响是，结果将为作物物种的翻译提供重要信息。这已经从最初在拟南芥中鉴定的作物基因的克隆和利用开始。遗传学，分子生物学，生物化学和细胞生物学的使用使该项目成为从本科到博士后水平的科学家的绝佳培训基地。调查的主题被纳入PI教授的课程“宿主-微生物相互作用的策略”。PI的实验室积极寻求让本科生参与研究项目，PI参与与本提案主题直接相关的公共政策和公共辩论。了解更多关于这个项目的信息：http://www.bio.unc.edu/dangl/lab/projects/index.htm

Plants have a sophisticated immune system that is very different in molecular terms from that of humans, but serves the same general purpose: recognize and respond to pathogen infection. Plant pathogens cause diseases that result in the loss of up to 30% of crops annually, and this is often after the required fresh water has been added to the crops, and despite the use of chemicals to control infections. Thus, learning about how the plant immune system works, in order to 'help plants help themselves' will result in saving lots of fresh water and lead to environmentally sustainable agronomic practices.This project fits the 2009 call for the NSF Arabidopsis 2010 Programs heading (2) Adaptation to the environment. The research will "determine the function of Arabidopsis genes and gene networks involved in plant responses to the environment and in adaptation to biotic or abiotic conditions." The project concerns the control of intracellular receptors of the plant immune system. A multi-disciplinary approach combining genetics (forward and reverse), biochemistry and cell biology will be used to understand how these receptors, called NB-LRR proteins, are assembled into a pre-activation, signal competent state and to define how they are specifically activated after infection. Broader impacts: An increasingly detailed view of how the plant immune system functions to mitigate losses is emerging from a community focus on the application of Arabidopsis to important problems in plant pathology. The reference plant species, Arabidopsis thaliana, is useful for studies of nearly all classes of pathogens that are agronomically relevant. Hence, a broader impact of this project is that the results will significantly inform translation to crop species. This has already begun with the cloning and utilization of genes from crops originally identified in Arabidopsis. The use of genetics, molecular biology, biochemistry, and cell biology makes this project an excellent training ground for scientists from undergraduate to post-doctoral levels. Topics investigated are incorporated into a course taught by the PI on 'Strategies of Host-Microbe Interactions'. The PI's lab actively seeks to engage undergraduates in research projects and the PI is involved in public policy and public debates directly related to the topics of this proposal. Learn more about this project at:http://www.bio.unc.edu/dangl/lab/projects/index.htm