Pathogenic Gene Discovery and Elucidation of Genetic Regulatory Networks in the Rice Blast Fungus

稻瘟病菌致病基因的发现和遗传调控网络的阐明

• 批准号: 1145347
• 负责人: Richard Wilson
• 金额: $ 49.5万
• 依托单位: University of Nebraska-Lincoln
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2012
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2012-04-15 至 2015-03-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1145347&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Pathogenic; Gene; Discovery; Elucidation; Genetic; Pathogenic; Gene; Discovery; Elucidation; Genetic

To succeed as pathogens, fungi must adapt their metabolism to nutrient availability within the host, but little is known about the genetic regulatory mechanisms involved. The filamentous ascomycete fungus Magnaporthe oryzae is the causal agent of rice blast disease, which annually results in a 10 to 30 percent reduction in global rice yield. Traditional plant breeding strategies have failed to contain this severe threat to global food security; however, because of the amenability of M. oryzae to molecular analysis, durable control strategies might emerge from a better understanding of the molecular and cellular processes underlying the plant-fungal interaction. The goal of this project is to use mutants of M. oryzae, impaired in their ability to develop in rice, to unlock the fundamental cellular, biochemical, and genetic regulatory mechanisms that govern the rice-fungus interaction. Using molecular genetics and biochemical techniques, it is expected that this project will reveal essential new knowledge about the integration of metabolism with gene expression in M. oryzae that will likely shed light on important genetic control pathways in other pathogenic fungi. The investigators will promote the pathogenic gene discovery process as a tool to train students and inspire underrepresented minorities to pursue a career in science. Central to our research ethos will be the integration of undergraduate, graduate, and underrepresented high school students and teachers, representing diverse sections of the community, into the process of pathogenic gene identification and characterization. The M. oryzae- rice interaction will be used to inform undergraduate students of the importance of fundamental concepts in genetics and biochemistry, to allow graduate students and postdoctoral research associates to develop as mentors and teachers, and to involve high school students in real-world problems that, through their participation in EPSCoR summer camps supervised by the PI, will inspire them to undertake a career in science.

为了成为病原体的成功，真菌必须使其新陈代谢适应宿主中的养分利用率，但对所涉及的遗传调节机制知之甚少。丝状下结肠真菌斑点是水稻爆炸疾病的因果药，每年使全球水稻产量降低10％至30％。传统的植物育种策略未能包含对全球粮食安全的严重威胁；然而，由于蛋黄酱对分子分析的不合适性，可能会从更好地理解植物 - 真菌相互作用的分子和细胞过程中出现持久的控制策略。该项目的目的是使用牛乳杆菌的突变体，其在大米中发育的能力受损，以解锁控制水稻 - 联邦相互作用的基本细胞，生化和遗传调节机制。使用分子遗传学和生化技术，预计该项目将揭示有关代谢与基因在M. Oryzae中的基因表达的整合的基本知识，这可能会揭示其他致病真菌中重要的遗传控制途径。研究人员将促进致病基因发现过程，作为培训学生并激发代表性不足的少数民族从事科学职业的工具。我们的研究精神的核心将是本科生，研究生和代表社区各个部分的高中生和教师的融合，以融入致病基因识别和表征的过程中。 The M. oryzae- rice interaction will be used to inform undergraduate students of the importance of fundamental concepts in genetics and biochemistry, to allow graduate students and postdoctoral research associates to develop as mentors and teachers, and to involve high school students in real-world problems that, through their participation in EPSCoR summer camps supervised by the PI, will inspire them to undertake a career in science.