ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT CHALLENGES IN BIOLOGY IS TO UNDERSTAND THE FACTORS THAT RESULT IN DISPARATE ORGANISMAL INTERACTIONS THAT CAN LEAD TO POLAR OPPOSITE OUTCOMES, I.E. PARASITISM (AND DEATH OF ONE OF THE INTERACTING PARTNERS) OR SYMBIOSES WITH MUTUALISTIC BENEFITS FOR BOTH PARTNERS. IT HAS LONG BEEN RECOGNIZED THAT INTERACTIONS BETWEEN INDIVIDUAL MICROBES, AND FUNGI IN PARTICULAR, AND DIFFERENT PARTNERS (PLANTS, INSECTS & OTHER ANIMALS) CAN RESULT IN SUCH DIVERSE OUTCOMES. BEETLE-FUNGAL ASSOCIATIONS ARE AMONGST THE OLDEST AND MOST DIVERSE MUTUALISMS FOUND IN NATURE. THE FUNGUS,RAFFAELEA LAURICOLA, FORMS SYMBIOTIC RELATIONSHIPS WITH AMBROSIA BEETLES, BUT IS A HIGHLY DESTRUCTIVE PLANT PATHOGEN, WHEREASR. ARXIIALSO FORMS MUTUALISTIC RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE SAME BEETLES, BUT IS NOT A SIGNIFICANT PLANT PATHOGEN. WE WILL USERAFFAELEAAND THEIR INSECT/PLANT HOSTS IN A COMPARATIVE APPROACH TO UNDERCOVER CRITICAL FACTORS THAT UNDERLIE THE DISPARATE AND OPPOSING OUTCOMES THESE FUNGI HAVE WITH THEIR TWO INTERACTING PARTNERS (INSECTS AND PLANTS). SPECIFIC AIMSWILL FOCUS ONR. LAURICOLATO (I) DEVELOP TOOLS FOR BIOCHEMICAL AND GENETIC STUDIES IN THE FUNGUS, (II) APPLY THESE TOOLS TO DISSECT MOLECULARMECHANISMS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO PATHOGENESIS VERSUS SYMBIOSES, AND (III)PROVIDE APPLIED SOLUTIONS FOR CONTROL OF THE DEVASTATING DISEASE CAUSED BY THE FUNGUS, AS WELL AS DEVELOP MOLECULAR APPROACHES TO EXAMINE THE NATURE OF THE FUNGAL-INSECT SYMBIOSIS.?

University Of Florida, Gainesville FL

Investigators