METABOLOMICS: Identification of inducible bioactive plant metabolites

代谢组学：可诱导生物活性植物代谢物鉴定日本：Yutaka Okumoto， Naoki Mori, and Naoko Yoshinaga（京都大学）美国：Georg Jander (Boyce Thompson Institute)；Eric Schmelz和Alisa Huffaker （USDA-ARS）智力优势：植物产生各种各样的有毒和威慑代谢物来保护自己免受病原体和食草动物的侵害。这些化学防御包括被充分研究的分子，如咖啡中的咖啡因和辣椒中的辣椒素。然而，在任何给定的植物物种中，只有不到10%的代谢物被鉴定出来。许多与防御有关的化合物在非应激植物中不存在，但在受到攻击后，它们在局部积累到非常高的水平。靶向鉴定这些在感染或草食反应中积累的小分子，将导致发现以前未知的植物防御。在目前的项目中，防御诱导的代谢物将在四种研究得很好的植物物种——玉米、大豆、水稻和拟南芥中被鉴定出来。通过关注这些关键物种，将有可能利用发达的遗传工具和广泛的先前研究来加速发现合成以前未知的植物代谢物所需的基因和途径。新发现的植物基因和代谢物的防御功能将通过昆虫和病原体生物测定来证实。更广泛的影响：对植物诱导防御的分析将导致识别以前未知的分子，这些分子在病虫害控制中具有实际应用。对天然植物防御机制的理解将使有针对性的性状改进成为可能，从而减少能源投入和农业化学品的使用，这是种植用于食品、动物饲料和生物燃料生产的植物所必需的。通过这个高度合作的研究项目，美国和日本科学家之间的互动将得到加强。用于分析的样本将在研究团队之间交换，来自美国的科学家将在日本接受培训，来自日本的本科生将参加博伊斯汤普森研究所一个完善的本科生研究项目。新一代的植物科学家将为未来在学术界、工业界和政府部门的职业生涯做好准备。

METABOLOMICS: Identification of Inducible Bioactive Plant Metabolites Japan: Yutaka Okumoto, Naoki Mori, and Naoko Yoshinaga (Kyoto University) USA: Georg Jander (Boyce Thompson Institute); Eric Schmelz and Alisa Huffaker (USDA-ARS)Intellectual Merit: Plants produce an enormous variety of toxic and deterrent metabolites to protect themselves against pathogens and herbivores. These chemical defenses include well-studied molecules like caffeine in coffee and capsaicin in hot peppers. However, less than 10% of the metabolites in any given plant species have been identified. Many defense-related compounds are absent in non-stressed plants, but accumulate locally to very high levels following attack. The targeted identification of these small molecules, which accumulate in response to infection or herbivory, will result in the discovery previously unknown plant defenses. In the current project, defense-induced metabolites will be identified in four well-studied plant species, maize, soybean, rice and Arabidopsis. By focusing on these key species, it will be possible to make use of well-developed genetic tools and an extensive body of prior research to speed the discovery genes and pathways that are required for the synthesis of previously unknown plant metabolites. The defensive functions of the newly identified plant genes and metabolites will be confirmed with insect and pathogen bioassays.Broader Impacts: Analysis of induced defenses in plants will lead to the identification of previously unknown molecules that have practical applications in the control of pests and diseases. A mechanistic understanding of natural plant defenses will enable targeted trait improvements that reduce energy inputs and the use of agricultural chemicals, which are required when cultivating plants for food, animal feed, and biofuel production. Interactions between American and Japanese scientists will be enhanced through this highly collaborative research project. Samples for analysis will be exchanged between research teams, scientists from the US will receive training in Japan, and undergraduate students from Japan will participate in a well-established undergraduate research program at the Boyce Thompson Institute. A new generation of plant scientists will be prepared for future careers in academia, industry, and government service.