Mechanisms of nutrient transport from plants to biotrophic pathogens

植物病原体引起的疾病是对全球粮食安全的长期威胁，每年造成数千亿美元的损失。最具成本效益、最可持续的疾病控制方法是用自然产生的植物基因培育作物，以抵抗病原体，而在实践中，这些基因通常会被共同进化的病原体迅速克服。该项目将为设计遗传抗性的新方法奠定基础，该方法基于这样一个事实，即大多数病原体依赖植物寄主为其生长提供必要的营养。通过识别和改造负责养分转移的植物基因，使它们不再被病原体利用，就有可能切断病原体的供应线，防止疾病的发展。这种方法可以提供对多种病原体的抗性，并且病原体很难通过协同进化来克服。本项目专注于植物编码的氨基酸和糖的转运蛋白，这些转运蛋白被阿拉伯透明孢霉(HPA)所增选，以促进营养物质的获取。这个项目将为宿主基因对病原体营养的贡献提供新的见解，并将调查转运蛋白被选中为入侵者服务的机制。植物-病原菌相互作用的这些方面是至关重要的，但对它们的了解和研究还不够充分。反向遗传学将被用来鉴定HPA定植拟南芥所必需的氨基酸转运体。将使用双突变体和RNAi系来评估遗传冗余和生理补偿。将对突变进行研究，以确定其他病原体对感染的影响，以及相关表型是否由于先天免疫反应的扰动。将在分子水平上研究转运蛋白的一个子集，以评估它们的差异表达和亚细胞定位对病原体营养获取的重要性。将测定生物化学特性和氨基酸转运体对跨质膜通量的影响，以确定它们在植物中的作用。最后，一种结合代谢组学和标记营养物质的新方法将被用来测试氨基酸转运蛋白对病原体营养的重要性。项目参与者将通过植物研究和教育伙伴关系进行推广，高中生将对转运蛋白突变进行原创研究。参与的科学家通过磨练他们讨论植物科学研究的全球影响和他们的项目的具体意义的能力而受益。

Diseases caused by plant pathogens are a perennial threat to global food security and cost hundreds of billions of dollars annually. The most cost-effective, sustainable method for disease control is to breed crops with naturally occurring plant genes for resistance to pathogens, which, in practice, are often quickly overcome by co-evolving pathogens. This project will lay the groundwork for a new approach to engineer genetic resistance, based on the fact that most pathogens depend on the plant host to supply essential nutrients for their growth. By identifying and engineering the plant genes responsible for nutrient transfer so that they can no longer be used by the pathogen, it could be possible to cut the pathogen's supply lines and prevent disease development. This approach could provide resistance against a wide range of pathogens and would be very difficult for pathogens to overcome by co-evolution.This project focuses on plant-encoded transporters of amino acids and sugar that are co-opted by Hyaloperonospora arabidopsidis (Hpa) to facilitate nutrient acquisition. This project will provide new insights into the contributions of host genes to pathogen nutrition, and will investigate mechanisms through which transporters are co-opted to serve the invader. These aspects of plant-pathogen interactions are critically important but inadequately understood and under-studied. Reverse genetics will be used to identify amino acid transporters necessary for colonization of Arabidopsis by Hpa. Double mutants and RNAi lines will be used to assess genetic redundancy and physiological compensation. Mutants will be studied to determine the impact on infection by other pathogens, and whether the associated phenotypes are due to perturbation of innate immune responses. A subset of transporters will be examined at the molecular level to evaluate the importance of their differential expression and subcellular localization for pathogen nutrient acquisition. Biochemical properties and effects of amino acid transporters on flux across the plasma membrane will be determined to identify their role in the plant. Finally, a novel approach combining metabolomics and labeled nutrients will be used to test the importance of amino acid transporters for pathogen nutrition. Project participants will engage in outreach through the Partnership for Research and Education in Plants, in which high school students will conduct original research on transporter mutants. Participating scientists benefit by honing their ability to discuss the global impact of plant science research and the specific significance of their projects.