Characterization of the Arabidopsis-spider mite interaction

为了应对减少农药使用的可持续农业生产的全球挑战，必须开发新的环境安全方法，以补充当前基于农药的作物保护计划。主要作物基因组/遗传资源的快速发展，以及新的育种技术，为抗性植物的选择提供了合理的基础。虽然主要植物病原体的基因组资源有助于植物育种计划对抗疾病，但节肢动物食草动物缺乏类似的资源。了解节肢食草动物如何与植物相互作用对于开发新的作物保护方法至关重要。摘要本文对两斑蜘蛛螨（Tetranychus urticae，双斑蜘蛛螨）进行了基因组测序，该螨是世界上最常见的多食节肢动物之一，也是农业上的主要害虫之一。该物种以200多个不同植物科的1000多种植物为食，包括许多重要的农业作物。我们已经用分子、遗传和基因组工具建立了TSMM作为食草动物的模型。TSMM以植物模式生物拟南芥（Arabidopsis thaliana）为食，拟南芥具有可用于防御途径和可用遗传和基因组工具的全部信息。为了了解拟南芥与蜘蛛螨相互作用的分子机制，我们建立了拟南芥与蜘蛛螨相互作用体系。在本提案中，我们将：a)描述蜘蛛螨取食/植物损害的模式；B)识别植物对蜘蛛螨取食的感知；C)明确氧脂素在植物抗蜘蛛螨食草性防御中的调控作用；D)确定螨对吲哚硫代葡萄糖苷的适应机制；e)确定植物对螨虫食草性反应自然变异的基因。这些目标的实现将培养HQPs广泛的技能，包括遗传学，植物和螨基因组学和生物信息学，生理学和显微镜，使他们在学术界或工业界的职业生涯中具有竞争力。

To meet the global challenge of a sustainable agricultural production with a reduced pesticide use it is imperative to develop novel environmentally safe methods that can complement the current pesticide-based crop protection programs.The rapidly developing genomic/genetic resources in major crops, together with new breeding technologies, are providing a rational basis for the selection of resistant plants. While genomic resources for major plant pathogens facilitate plant breeding programs against diseases, similar resources are lacking for arthropod herbivores. A fundamental understanding of how arthropod herbivores interact with plants is crucial for development of new approaches to crop protection. We have recently sequenced the genome of two-spotted spider mite (TSSM), Tetranychus urticae, one of the most polyphagous arthropods and one of the major pests in agriculture worldwide. This species feeds on over 1000 plant species belonging to more than 200 different plant families, including many agriculturally important crops. We have established TSMM as a model herbivore with molecular, genetic and genomic tools. TSMM is feeding on a plant model organism Arabidopsis thaliana that has the repertoire of information available on defense pathways and available genetic and genomic tools. We have established the Arabidopsis-spider mite interaction system with the long-term objective to understand molecular mechanism of their interaction. In this proposal, we will: a) characterize the mode of spider mite feeding/plant damage; b) identify plant perception of spider mite feeding; c) define the role of oxylipins in the regulation of plant defense against spider mite herbivory; d) identify the mechanism of mite adaptation to indol glucosinolates; and e) identify genes underlying natural variation in plant response to mite herbivory. Realization of these Objectives will train HQPs in wide range of skills, including genetics, plant and mite genomics and bioinformatics, physiology and microscopy making them competitive for careers in academia or industry.