Mediation of plant-herbivore interactions by foliar bacterial endophytes: A test using a native Pseudomonas-mustard-insect interaction system

叶内生细菌介导植物-草食动物相互作用：使用天然假单胞菌-芥菜-昆虫相互作用系统的测试

• 批准号: 1256758
• 负责人: Noah Whiteman
• 金额: $ 15万
• 依托单位: University of Arizona
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2013
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2013-03-01 至 2016-02-29
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1256758&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Mediation; plant; herbivore; interactions; foliar; Mediation; plant; herbivore; interactions; foliar

Parasites are among the strongest negative factors in the health and performance of both plants and animals. Plant and animal hosts have in turn evolved robust immune systems that are organized into distinct branches that respond to different types of parasites. However, evidence suggests that when attack by one type of parasite activates one branch of the immune system, other branches can be de-activated. This could mean that co-infection by more than one type of parasite could partly defeat an immune response and have more serious combined effects than expected from just adding the effects of separate attacks by each parasite. The project will test this using a native plant species and its natural, pathogenic bacteria and herbivores in an alpine ecosystem in the Rocky Mountains. The researchers will conduct field and laboratory experiments to show if prior infection with leaf-dwelling bacteria renders the plants more susceptible to attack by leaf-chewing herbivores, and vice versa. Use of molecular techniques will further show if this is accompanied by de-activation of the branches of the immune system of the plant that are respectively responsible for resistance to bacteria and herbivores. This project will help fill an important gap in our understanding of the importance of co-infection in nature.This project will train undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral scientists, and a high school teacher in ecology, molecular biology, and microbiology. The award will also further the career of a young investigator by providing his first major federal funding. The study species are relatives of major agricultural pathogens, pests, and crop plants, so results should help understand how to reduce agricultural losses. The research should also have applications to medicine, because co-infection is also a health problem in humans. For example, prior infection of people with intestinal worms can lead to increased susceptibility to microbial infections.

寄生虫是动植物的健康和表现中最强的负面因素之一。 动植物宿主反过来又进化出了可靠的免疫系统，这些免疫系统被组织成不同类型的寄生虫的不同分支。 但是，有证据表明，当一种类型的寄生虫攻击会激活免疫系统的一个分支时，其他分支可以被消灭。 这可能意味着，通过多种寄生虫的共同感染可能会部分击败免疫反应，并且比仅添加每个寄生虫单独攻击的效果所预期的更严重的综合效果。 该项目将使用本地植物物种及其天然，致病性细菌和食草动物在落基山脉的高山生态系统中进行测试。 研究人员将进行现场和实验室实验，以证明先前用叶叶细菌感染是否会使植物更容易受到叶片的食草动物的攻击，反之亦然。 分子技术的使用将进一步表明，如果伴随着植物免疫系统的分支分别造成对细菌和食草动物的抗性分别负责的植物的分支。 该项目将有助于填补我们对自然共同感染重要性的理解的重要差距。该项目将培训本科生和研究生，博士后科学家，以及生态学，分子生物学和微生物学的高中老师。 该奖项还将通过提供他的第一个主要联邦资金来进一步促进年轻调查员的职业生涯。 该研究物种是主要农业病原体，害虫和作物植物的亲属，因此结果应有助于了解如何减少农业损失。 这项研究也应在医学上应用，因为共同感染也是人类的健康问题。 例如，先前感染肠蠕虫的人会导致对微生物感染的敏感性增加。