Collaborative Research: Signaling and regulation of vegetative incompatibility in the plant pathogen Cryphonectria parasitica.

导致细胞融合的识别事件是许多重要生物过程的关键步骤。在真菌界，细胞识别事件在酿酒酵母（一种出芽酵母）的交配过程中得到了很好的理解。在丝状真菌中，一个识别系统也被用来控制菌丝的营养融合（吻合）。这些融合事件允许大型网络菌落的发展，其中较老的菌丝紧密相连。这使得营养物质可以快速分布到群体的不同部分。细胞融合的好处还可以扩展到同一物种的两个不同的菌落的结合。由两个伴侣融合形成的稳定群体将包含两组不同的基因，每组来自伴侣，从而产生新的基因组合。此外，这种融合允许更有效的觅食，因为两个群体的营养和代谢资源可以集中在一起。然而，这个过程存在固有的风险。感染真菌的病毒利用这些细胞融合事件从一个宿主传播到另一个宿主。为了抵消传播病毒感染的固有风险，真菌进化出了一种复杂的遗传机制，称为植物不相容。这允许自融合，但阻止两个不相关的真菌菌落融合。导致美洲板栗枯萎病的植物病原体是一种真菌，它可以被RNA病毒感染，从而降低真菌致病的能力。该项目将解决1)导致真菌菌落融合和病毒从一个菌落传播到另一个菌落的识别事件的性质，以及2)如果相互作用在遗传上不相容，导致真菌细胞死亡的信号。更广泛的ImpactsC。寄生是一个很好的系统，可以让学生参与到研究中来，因为这种真菌很容易生长和操作，但同时它可以与强大的技术相结合。在这个合作项目中，将有机会在少数民族服务机构和研究型大学合作培养本科生、研究生和博士后。该项目的综合性质将使两个研究团队之间有高度的互动。将在真菌发育、植物病理学和宿主-病毒相互作用等领域作出贡献。以病毒为基础的板栗疫病和其他真菌病害的生物防治策略有改进的潜力。此外，该项目将通过将研究融入课堂来加强本科生教育，并允许研究生和本科生研究人员参加科学会议。该项目的结果将在可公开访问的数据库中提供，并通过出版物、网站传播和参加科学会议的方式分发数据。

The recognition events that lead to cell fusion are crucial steps in many important biological processes. In the Fungal Kingdom, cell recognition events are well understood for such processes as mating in Saccharomyces cerevisiae (a budding yeast.) In filamentous fungi, a recognition system is also used to control vegetative fusion (anastomosis) of the hyphae. These fusion events permit the development of large networked colonies in which the older hyphae are greatly interconnected. This allows for rapid distribution of nutrients to different parts of the colony. The benefits of cell fusion also extend to the joining of two distinct colonies of the same species. Stable colonies formed by the fusion of two partners will contain two different sets of genes, one from each partner, thus producing novel genetic combinations. In addition such fusions permit more efficient foraging, since the nutritional and metabolic resources of both colonies can be pooled. However, there are inherent risks associated with this process. Viruses that infect fungi exploit these cell fusion events in order to spread from one host to another. To counteract the inherent risk of transmitting viral infection, fungi have evolved a complex genetic mechanism, called vegetative incompatibility. This permits self-fusion but prevents the fusion of two unrelated fungal colonies. Cryphonectria parasitica, the plant pathogen responsible for the blight of the American chestnut, is a fungus that can be infected by RNA viruses that reduce the ability of the fungus to cause disease. This project will address 1) the nature of the recognition events that lead to fungal colony fusion and the transmission of the virus from one colony to another and 2) the signals that cause the fungal cells to die if the interaction is genetically incompatible. Broader ImpactsC. parasitica is an excellent system for integrating students into research because this fungus is simple to grow and manipulate, but at the same time it can be coupled to powerful technologies. In this collaborative project there will be opportunities for the cooperative training of undergraduate and graduate students and postdoctoral fellows in a minority serving institution and a research university. The integrative nature of the project will enable a high degree of interaction between the two research teams. Contributions will be made to the fields of fungal development, plant pathology and host-virus interactions. There is potential for improving virus-based biological control strategies for chestnut blight and other fungal diseases. In addition, this project will enhance undergraduate student education by integrating the research into the classroom, and it will allow graduate and undergraduate researchers to participate in scientific meetings. The results of the project will be made available in publicly accessible databases and through distribution of the data by publication, web site dissemination, and participation in scientific meetings.