Safeguarding UK hop production from Verticillium nonalfalfae: Using genomics to develop race-specific diagnostics and generate Verticillium resistant

保障英国黄萎病菌的啤酒花生产：利用基因组学开发种族特异性诊断方法并产生黄萎病抗性

• 批准号: 2753545
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: University of Kent
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Studentship
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2022 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=studentship-2753545
• 关键词: Safeguarding; UK; hop; production; Verticillium

Rational: Highly virulent races of the soil borne fungus Verticillium nonalfalfae have substantially contributed to the decline of the UK hop industry. Once this lethal disease has established within a field it can only be combatted through this use of resistant varieties as there are no effective chemical means for control. Four V. nonalfalfae UK races have been characterised (mild, PV1, PV2, PV3), with two understood to have evolved exclusively in the UK. Published work has focused on identifying pathogenicity factors causing lethal wilt (PV1) on the susceptible cultivar 'Fuggle', a significant problem in continental Europe. By contrast, this PhD will investigate the resistance breaking UK races causing lethal wilt on the resistant cultivars 'Wye Challenger' (PV2) and 'Wye Target' (PV3).Approaches: WP1 Determining V. nonalfalfae population structure in terms of virulence characteristicsWP2 Fungal population genomics in relation to UK and EU virulence profiles WP3 Identification of race specific pathogenicity factors through comparative genomics for use in the development of diagnosticsWP4 Validation of pathogenicity factors through knockouts of candidate genes and Host Induced Gene Silencing (HIGS)Impact: Identifying regions of the genome unique to each V. nonalfalfae race structure will allow the generation of soil diagnostic tools to inform planting and management decisions in hop production. Whereas the use of HIGS and gene knockouts will validate pathogenicity factors and allow the generation of Verticillium resistant hop varieties. Existing funding has been secured to characterise novel sources of Verticillium resistance in hop through QTL mapping. However, understanding the race structure of UK V. nonalfalfae will allow the Wye Hops breeding company to develop robust disease resistant hop varieties. This project will complement current host work and contribute to understanding of the arms race between hop breeders and Verticillium.

理由：土生真菌黄萎病的高毒力种族在很大程度上导致了英国啤酒花产业的衰落。一旦这种致命疾病在田间蔓延，就只能通过使用抗性品种来对抗，因为没有有效的化学手段来控制。四种 V. nonalfalfae 英国品种已得到鉴定（温和、PV1、PV2、PV3），其中两种据了解仅在英国进化。已发表的工作重点是确定导致易感品种“Fuggle”致死性枯萎病（PV1）的致病因素，这是欧洲大陆的一个严重问题。相比之下，该博士将研究突破英国品种的抗性，导致抗性品种“Wye Challenger”（PV2）和“Wye Target”（PV3）致死性枯萎病。 方法： WP1 根据毒力特征确定 V. nonalfalfae 种群结构 WP2 真菌与英国和欧盟毒力概况相关的群体基因组学 WP3 通过比较基因组学鉴定种族特异性致病因素，用于诊断开发 WP4通过敲除候选基因和宿主诱导基因沉默（HIGS）来验证致病因素的影响：识别每个非苜蓿品种结构独特的基因组区域将允许生成土壤诊断工具，为啤酒花生产中的种植和管理决策提供信息。而 HIGS 和基因敲除的使用将验证致病因素并允许产生黄萎病抗性啤酒花品种。现有资金已获得通过 QTL 作图来表征啤酒花中黄萎病抗性的新来源。然而，了解 UK V. nonalfalfae 的种族结构将使 Wye Hops 育种公司能够开发出强大的抗病啤酒花品种。该项目将补充当前的宿主工作，并有助于了解啤酒花育种者和黄萎病之间的军备竞赛。