BBSRC Embrapa - Using HIGS and si-RNA technologies to explore and control Fusarium Head Scab disease in wheat fields

共有22名研究人员参与了该项目，其中12名在巴西，10名在英国。10名是巴西农业研究院的雇员，分布在特里戈、帕索丰多（5）、农业信息学、坎皮纳斯（1）、大豆、隆德里纳（1）和巴西利亚塞纳根（3）。另外两名巴西科学家（Vicosa和Maringa）在大学工作。英国科学家位于洛桑研究所（RRes）的植物生物学和作物科学（9）和应用生物信息学（1）部门。组装的团队具有高度互补的技能，这是交付初始项目目标和开发交付整个项目所需的联合研究所需的。完成六个工作包（WP）所需的技能如下：WP 1：植物病理学和建模，专门研究小麦赤霉病（FHB）（Fernandes，Del Ponte和Tessmann），包括小麦在内的各种病原体感染Fusaria（West）的流行病学、诊断和空气传播。植物、动物和真菌生物信息学和蛋白质建模（马丁斯和Togawa），植物和病原体基因组学（King和Hammond-Kosack）. WP 3：T-DNA设计，稳定植物转化，转化体分析（Huttly，Lee和Jones），瞬时小麦转化（Lau），转基因植物分析（Bonato）。在巴西（内波穆塞诺）和英国（琼斯）设计/进行转基因小麦田间试验。WP 4：功能基因组学/遗传学和植物生物技术，包括烟草（Aragão），小麦和拟南芥（Kanyuka，Hammond-Kosack）中禾谷镰刀菌（Fg）的宿主诱导基因沉默（HIGS）和si-RNA。真菌分子遗传学和Fg转化（Urban）. WP 5：受控环境和/或田间的FHB疾病评估（Lima，Urban，Brown，马查多），真菌毒素定量（Tibola和Urban），小麦籽粒品质的近红外反射率分析（Tibola），数字成像处理（Barbedo）。WP 6：赠款提案和报告撰写-所有，无论是作为一个团队还是作为一个个人。这个项目需要使用特定的资源。这些包括已经充分表征的谷物感染镰刀菌分离物收集物，其来自巴西南部的格兰德河和巴拉那州以前种植的小麦作物。为巴西南部开发的工作原型FHB小麦预测模型。在RRes建立了先进的生物信息学管道，用于Fg基因组组装和注释，并在巴西利亚建立了先进的生物信息学管道，用于消除非靶生物效应。高效的小麦转化设施只有在RRes提供。受保护的RRes转基因田间试验点和巴西南部的同等转基因试验点。在Cenargen和RRes的许可控制生长室设施，用于使用各种转基因植物物种与转基因镰刀菌报告菌株相结合来探索HIGS和si-RNA机制。最后，只有帕索丰多拥有用于谷物分析的独特近红外共振分析设备。EMBRAPA的四个研究所、两所巴西大学和研究所都拥有完善的科学基础设施，以加快拟议的实验、所需的数据采集、分析和存储以及Skype所需的定期通信。拟议的项目将与新的英国-巴西气候变化中的产量稳定和保护伙伴关系（PYSP）下的活动密切配合。PYSP由牛顿基金联合中心奖提供部分资金，并由RRes和EMBRAPA联合协调。该项目将纳入PYSP活动，确保交流活动得到充分协调，最大限度地减少重复，并在EMBRAPA的不同小组和RRES的研究小组之间进行最大限度的接触。PYSP将为所有RRES/ EMBRAPA活动提供一个中心焦点，从而加强项目之间的联系，并确保所有联合研究产生更大的影响。

In total, 22 researchers are involved in this project, 12 in Brazil and 10 in the UK. Ten are EMBRAPA employees located at Trigo, Passo Fundo (5), agricultural informatics, Campinas (1), soybean, Londrina (1) and Cenargen, Brasilia (3). The two additional Brazilian scientists are University based (Vicosa and Maringa). The UK scientists are located at Rothamsted Research (RRes) in the department of Plant Biology and Crop Science (9) and Applied Bioinformatics (1).The assembled team has highly complementary skills, which are required to deliver the initial project objectives and to develop the joint studies required to deliver the full project. The skills needed to deliver on the six work packages (WPs) proposed are as follows:WP1: Phytopathology and modelling, specialising in Fusarium head blight (FHB)-wheat (Fernandes, Del Ponte and Tessmann), epidemiology, diagnostics and air dispersal of various pathogens including wheat infecting Fusaria (West).WP2: Plant, animal and fungal bioinformatics and protein modelling (Martins and Togawa), plant and pathogen genomics (King and Hammond-Kosack).WP3: T-DNA design, stable plant transformation, analysis of transformants (Huttly, Lee and Jones), transient wheat transformation (Lau), transgenic plant analyses (Bonato). Designing/conducting GM wheat field trials in Brazil (Nepomuceno) and UK (Jones). WP4: Functional genomics/genetics and plant biotechnology, including Host induced gene silencing (HIGS) and si-RNA of Fusarium graminearum (Fg) in tobacco (Aragão), wheat and Arabidopsis (Kanyuka, Hammond-Kosack). Fungal molecular genetics and Fg transformation (Urban).WP5: FHB disease assessments in controlled environment and/ or the field (Lima, Urban, Brown, Machado), mycotoxin quantification (Tibola and Urban), near-infrared reflectance analysis of wheat grain quality (Tibola), digital imaging processing (Barbedo). WP6: Grant proposal and report writing - all, either as a team or as an individual.This project requires the use of specific resources. These include the already well characterised cereal infecting fusarium isolate collections obtained from previous wheat crops grown Rio Grande and Parana States in South Brazil. The working prototype FHB-wheat prediction model developed for South Brazil. Advanced bioinformatics pipelines established at RRes for Fg genome assembly and annotation, and at Brasilia for elimination of non-target organism effects. The highly efficient wheat transformation facility only available at RRes. The protected GM field trial site at RRes and equivalent GM trial sites in South Brazil. The licensed containment growth room facilities in place at Cenargen and RRes for exploring HIGS and si-RNA mechanisms using various transgenic plant species in combination with transgenic Fusarium reporter strains. Finally, the unique near infrared resonance analysis facility for grain analysis is only available in Passo Fundo.The four EMBRAPA institutes, two Brazilian Universities and RRes each have well developed scientific infrastructures in place to expedite the experimentation proposed, the data capture, analyses and storage required and the regular communication needed by Skype, e-mail and by using secure data exchange sites.The proposed project will be closely aligned with activities under the new UK-Brazil partnership for Yield Stability and Protection in a Changing Climate (PYSP). PYSP is part-funded by a Newton-fund joint centre award and is jointly coordinated by RRes and EMBRAPA. This project will be integrated within PYSP activities, ensuring there is adequate coordination of exchange activities with minimal duplication and maximum engagement between different groups from EMBRAPA and research groups at RRes. PYSP will provide a central focus for all RRes/ EMBRAPA activities, thereby strengthening links across projects and ensuring greater impact for all joint research undertaken.