Antisense RNA, meiosis and phytohormones in the model fungal plant pathogen Ustilago maydis

植物真菌病是世界粮食危机的主要原因。 在加拿大，仅小麦作物每年因叶锈菌而遭受的损失就可达1亿美元。 锈菌只能在植物中生长，并且很难处理。 相比之下，相关的玉米黑穗病真菌，玉米黑粉菌，可以很容易地生长，并有协议详细调查这种真菌。 因此，虽然这种真菌对玉米作物造成严重损害，因此必须了解，但它也可以作为了解所有锈病和黑穗病的模型。在我的上一个NSERC资助中，我们通过基因组分析进一步开发了黑穗病真菌的模型。 这为调查提供了更好的工具，并能够将我们获得的知识转移到其他真菌中。我们现在处于一个很好的位置，使用这些工具来研究三个领域：1）通过反义RNA表达的基因表达控制，2）有性生殖的控制和3）真菌的植物激素生产。 2006年，因发现基因表达的反义控制，Fire和Mackay获得了诺贝尔奖。 虽然他们描述的系统在大多数生物体中起作用，但玉米黑穗病真菌有一种不同的方式通过反义控制基因表达。 我们将弄清楚这是什么与申请的资金。 真菌病原体的有性繁殖会打乱毒力基因，导致更致命的疾病。我们在项目2中的目标是了解性是如何控制的，以及如何与宿主植物的相互作用导致黑穗病真菌的有性繁殖。 在项目3中，我正在与特伦特大学的另一位教授合作，以确定黑穗病真菌在感染过程中如何改变玉米植株。 我们有证据表明，真菌使用植物激素来做到这一点，我们需要资金来弄清楚如何做到这一点。 我们有其他资金来源的设备资金，所以这里申请的资金，是为了支持学生在实验室里做这项工作。 通过这三个目标领域的结果，我们将提供可用于开发对抗真菌植物疾病的新方法的信息。 因此，这项研究将为学生提供很好的培训，并为可持续粮食生产提供重要的进展。

Fungal diseases of plants are a major contributor to the world food crisis. In Canada the loss to the wheat crop alone because of the leaf rust fungus can be $100 million annually. The rust fungi can only be grown in the plant and are very difficult to work with. In contrast, the related corn smut fungus, Ustilago maydis, can be easily grown and there are protocols for detailed investigation with this fungus. So, while this fungus causes serious damage to corn crops and therefore must be understood, it also acts as a model to understand all rust and smut diseases. In my last NSERC grant we further developed the model aspect of the smut fungus through genomic analysis. This provided better tools for investigation and the ability to transfer the knowledge we gain to other fungi. We are now in an excellent position to use these tools to investigate three areas 1) gene expression control through antisense RNA expression, 2) control of sexual reproduction and 3) plant hormone production by the fungus. Fire and Mellow received a Nobel prize in 2006 for their discovery of antisense control of gene expression. While the system they described is at work in most organisms, the corn smut fungus has a different way to control gene expression by antisense. We will be figuring out what that is with the funds applied for. Sexual reproduction by fungal pathogens shuffles virulence genes and can lead to more deadly diseases. Our goal in project 2 is to understand how sex is controlled and how interaction with the host plant leads to sexual reproduction by the smut fungus. In project 3, I am collaborating with another Professor at Trent to determine how the smut fungus modifies the corn plant during infection. We have evidence that the fungus does this using plant hormones, and we require the funds to figure out how. We have the money for equipment from other funding sources, so the funds applied for here, are to support the students doing this work in the laboratory. With the results from these three targeted areas we will provide information that can be used to develop new ways to fight fungal plant diseases. Therefore, this research will provide great training for students and important advances for sustainable food production.