MCA: Delineating molecular components and mechanisms for bacterial flagellin-induced immune responses in maize maize

植物在我们的社会中发挥着至关重要的作用，因为它们是人类的主要食物来源，在药品、纺织品和生物燃料的生产中至关重要。到2050年，世界人口预计将增加35%。为了养活不断增长的人口，农作物总产量需要翻一番。因此，提高作物产量是加强美国国内和世界各地经济和粮食安全的一个重要方面。然而，由于植物病原体极大地降低了作物产量和营养价值，这些重要目标受到了负面影响。这项工作的重点是玉米，也被称为玉米，这是一种对美国农民具有很高农学价值的作物品种，也是世界各地的主食。这项工作的目的是促进对定位于玉米细胞表面的细胞成分如何在玉米植株生长早期受到细菌病原体感染时如何检测和诱导植物防御的有限理解。拟议的研究将提供新的理解，有助于制定如何建立对不同病原体的抵抗力的新战略，从而可能对目前的育种工作起到补充作用。除了其生物学重要性外，该项目还将提供多样化的培训，以更好地为职业早期的科学家做好准备，使其成为国家科学工作队伍中的成功成员。本科生将在第一年被招募到一个实验室，该实验室提供一个刺激、具有挑战性和开放的环境，允许科学和个人成长。玉米(玉米)作为一种主要作物，在世界范围内具有很高的农学重要性；但感染微生物病原体会导致大量产量损失。致病病原体包括其运动性和致病性依赖于由鞭毛蛋白组成的鞭毛的细菌。作为一种保护自己免受鞭毛细菌感染的手段，许多双子叶植物和单子叶植物的基因组--包括玉米--编码一种进化的古老免疫受体鞭毛蛋白SENSING2(Fls2)，一种定位于质膜的受体激酶，检测细菌鞭毛蛋白或其活性多肽flg22。Flg22通过Fls2的感知启动了许多宿主免疫反应，从而限制了细菌的生长。然而，玉米鞭毛感知和信号传递的遗传基础和分子机制在很大程度上仍然难以捉摸。该项目将促进对玉米中模式(Flg22)触发的针对鞭毛细菌的免疫反应的分子组成和机制的有限理解。本研究的目的是：a)利用反向遗传学和ZmFLS2在拟南芥atfls2突变体中的表达来描述ZmFLS2是否在玉米的flg22-应答中发挥作用；b)确定flg22肽在玉米叶片和根中的信号强度；以及c)破译玉米是否与拟南芥的一个囊泡运输蛋白同源，参与fls2的运输，以及在玉米的发育和免疫反应中发挥质膜功能。作为新生植物研究计划的一部分，这笔资金将为博士后研究员和新生提供指导和研究培训。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Plants play a vital role in our society because they serve as major food sources for humans and are crucial in the production of medicine, textiles and biofuels. By 2050, the world’s population is predicted to increase by 35%. To feed this growing population, total crop production will need to double. Thus, improving crop production is an important aspect for enhancing the economy and food security within the US and around the world. These important goals, however, are negatively impacted by the fact that plant pathogens greatly reduce crop yield and nutritional values. This work focuses on corn, also called maize, which is a crop species of high agronomical value for US farmers and a staple food around the world. The goal of this work is to advance the limited understanding of how cellular components that are localized at the surface of corn cells detect and induce plant defenses when infected by bacterial pathogens during the early growth of corn plants. The proposed study will provide new understanding that will contribute to new strategies on how to establish resistance against diverse pathogens, thus likely be complementary to current breeding efforts. In addition to its biological importance, this project will provide diverse training to better prepare early-career scientists to be successful members of the national scientific work force. Undergraduate students will be recruited in their first year into a lab that provides a stimulating, challenging and open environment and allows for both scientific and personal growth.As a staple crop, Zea mays (maize) is of high agronomic importance worldwide; but infection by microbial pathogens can result in substantial yield loss. Disease-causing pathogens include bacteria whose motility and pathogenicity rely on their flagella composed of flagellin proteins. As one means to protect themselves against infection by flagellated bacteria, genomes of many dicots and monocots -including maize- encode for an evolutionary ancient immune receptor FLAGELLIN SENSING2 (FLS2), a plasma membrane-localized receptor kinase that detects bacterial flagellin or its active peptide flg22. Flg22 perception by FLS2 initiates many host immune responses that contribute to bacterial growth restriction. The genetic basis and the molecular machinery underlying flagellin perception and signaling in maize, however, remain largely elusive. This project will advance the limited understanding of the molecular components and mechanisms that contribute to pattern (flg22)-triggered immune responses against flagellated bacteria in maize. The objectives are to a) delineate if ZmFLS2 functions in flg22-responses in maize using reverse genetics and ZmFLS2 expression in Arabidopsis atfls2 mutant; b) define signaling potency of flg22 peptides in leaves and in roots of maize; and c) decipher if a maize ortholog of an Arabidopsis vesicular trafficking protein with roles in FLS2 trafficking to/from the plasma membrane functions in development and immune responses in maize. This grant will provide mentoring and research training for a postdoctoral research fellow and incoming fresh(wo)men as part of the Freshmen Research in Plants (FRIPS) program.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.