BRC-BIO: Towards mechanistic elucidation of wall-associated kinase immunity receptors in barley-spot blotch interaction

South Dakota State University, Brookings SD

Investigators

Abstract

Plant diseases caused by fungal pathogens are a serious risk to global food security. Plant resistance responses against these pathogens are complex and governed by diverse classes of immunity receptors including wall-associated kinases (WAKs). The PI’s ongoing research program aims to identify the signaling mechanism mediated by WAK genes using the barley-spot blotch model to broaden our understanding of its complex immune signaling components and its subsequent utilization in crop breeding programs as translational science. Incorporating undergraduate participation in basic science components of the project focusing on female undergraduate students will be pivotal to building STEM workforce in the region and increasing institutional capacity on high-impact research and training. These efforts are of paramount importance for South Dakota as the state’s female population is underrepresented in STEM careers. The outreach activities on disease management on agricultural crops designed for female students at middle school will inspire young minds to the field of science through hands-on workshops. The broader impact of these activities will be increased exposure to the effort of scientific communities in the SDSU and nation on plant research and inspire them to incline towards higher degrees in STEM education. rcs5 (resistance to Cochliobolus sativus 5) spot blotch susceptibility locus in barley harbors two dominant susceptibility genes Sbs1 and Sbs2 belonging to the WAK protein class of immunity receptors. WAKs have recently been identified as an immunity receptor in plants, and function both as susceptibility and resistance factors, yet their immune signaling components are largely unknown. The goal of the funded research is to identify the signaling mechanism mediated by WAK genes with specific objectives to: 1) Determine the physical interaction and subcellular localization of Sbs1 and Sbs2 proteins; 2) Determine the signaling pathway of Sbs1 and Sbs2 wall-associated kinases, and; 3) Broaden student awareness and participation in plant pathology research. The research plans to attain the objectives include heterologous protein interaction, co-localization assays, and identification of novel interaction partners through yeast two-hybrid interaction screen for functional characterization using a carbon nanotube mediated transgene overexpression system. This project will knit training components on the above-mentioned basic science experiments by providing training to undergraduate students and developing outreach workshops. Findings from this project will be applied to achieve a broader application of deployment of genetic host resistance in crop plants such as wheat, corn, and barley. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.