Genes That Control the Ability of Phytopathogens to Resist the Defense Protein Osmotin

Purdue University, West Lafayette IN

Investigators

Abstract

Phytopathogenic fungi are the predominant cause of agricultural losses resulting from infectious diseases in plants. Spurred by the need to develop logical agronomic strategies to control fungi, much attention has been paid in recent years to understanding natural plant defense mechanisms. Tremendous progress has been made in uncovering mechanisms by which plants 'recognize' the presence of the invader. This has been accomplished by numerous studies aimed at uncovering the natural molecules that fungi and plants use to signal each other's presence. Once plants sense the presence of dangerous pathogens they respond by making several proteins that are designed to inhibit or kill the pathogen. One of these proteins that defends the plant from pathogen invasion is called osmotin. The goal of this project is to investigate other factors made by fungi that affect the activity of the osmotin made by the plant. During the previous NSF-funded project, we utilized Saccharomyces cerevisiae, common baker's yeast, as a model fungus, because of the powerful genetic resources and tools available for this model. The goal of the present project is to further understand the importance of factors in yeast that control osmotin activity. The information gained from this model fungus can be used to study true plant pathogens, Fusarium oxysporum (osmotin sensitive) and Botrytis cinerea (osmotin resistant) as pathogen models. Understanding the bases of activity of these natural defense proteins could lead to novel strategies to control fungal diseases. Numerous undergraduate students and high school teachers from underrepresented minority groups have participated in the investigator's lab in the past, and will be included in the present project.