Building better Brassicas: Understanding disease resistance mechanisms across the Brassicaceae

芸苔属植物是生产食用油、蔬菜和生物燃料的重要作物，生长在不同的环境中，具有很高的经济和出口价值。黑胫病是世界范围内芸苔属作物上最重要的病害。新获得的芸苔属植物基因组序列为研究该植物与病原菌的协同进化提供了资源。该项目将利用下一代测序技术，研究野生和栽培芸苔属植物中抗性基因的进化和保护，以评估其对作物改良的潜力。对抗性基因进化的理解将有助于改进芸苔属作物的植物保护策略。

Brassica species are important crops producing cooking oil, vegetables and biofuel, grown in diverse environments with a high economic and export value. Blackleg disease, caused by the fungus Leptospheria maculans, is the most important disease of brassica crops world-wide. The newly available brassica genome sequence provides the resources to study the co-evolution of this plant and pathogen. This project will characterise the evolution and conservation of resistance genes in wild and cultivated brassicas, using next-generation sequencing technology, to assess their potential for crop improvement. An understanding of the evolution of genes responsible for resistance will lead to improved plant protection strategies for brassica crops.