Identification of gene expression biomarkers for different biotic stress conditions in Arabidopsis thaliana and canola

为了养活快速增长的人口，必须大幅提高全球农业生产力。**有效的虫害管理对可持续农业至关重要。生物农药是一种很有前途的工具，可以开发新一代强大、环保和可持续的农产品，以减少甚至取代传统的有问题的合成农药的使用。然而，生物农药产品的发展受到许多关键问题的阻碍。一个关键的障碍在于缺乏一套生物标志物，这些生物标志物可以作为早期诊断工具来准确预测疾病进展并快速评估植物保健产品的功效。为了帮助解决这个问题，这个参与- mitacs项目将专注于在模式植物拟南芥中识别一组在不同生物胁迫条件下的基因表达标记，然后将其与加拿大主要作物如油菜（芸苔）相关联。本研究采用的主要方法包括细菌和真菌病原菌对拟南芥和油菜的感染试验，以及定量RT-PCR和RNA-Seq分析。未来，这些生物标志物的应用将极大地加速新型植物保健产品的开发，并为加拿大蔬菜和油菜种植者带来巨大的利润。

Global agricultural productivity must be significantly improved to feed the rapidly-growing human population.**Effective pest management is crucial for sustainable agriculture. Biopesticides are promising tools to develop a**new generation of powerful, eco-friendly, and sustainable agricultural products to reduce or even replace the**use of conventional problematic synthetic pesticides. However, the development of biopesticide products is**impeded by many critical issues. One crucial hurdle lies in the lack of sets of biomarkers that can serve as early**diagnostic tools to accurately predict disease progression and quickly assess the efficacy of plant health**products. To help to resolve this issue, this Engage-Mitacs project will focus on identifying a group of gene**expression markers in the context of different biotic stress conditions in the model plant species Arabidopsis**thaliana, which will then be correlated to major Canadian crops such as canola (Brassica napus). The prime**methodologies adopted in this study include infection assays on A. thaliana and canola with bacterial and**fungal pathogens, along with quantitative RT-PCR and RNA-Seq analysis. In the future, the application of**these biomarkers will immensely accelerate the development of novel plant health products and bring huge**profits to Canadian vegetable and canola growers.