Host: Guus Bakkeren
Title: Characterizing gene families involved in systemic defense signaling against microbial pathogens in common wheat
This seminar will be presented over zoom as Sherry is located in Summerland.
https://ubc.zoom.us/j/63360835680?pwd=SGBM7P5VLTfaU3RQaYSEqxKoITZsP0.1
Meeting ID: 633 6083 5680
Passcode: 774295
‘Plant innate immunity is comprised of early detection of pathogens in a local infection site, followed by the timely upregulation of defense genes, proteins, and metabolites. Signals then travel systemically from the local infected tissue and prime the entire plant to withstand potential future invasions in a mechanism called systemic acquired resistance (SAR). In the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, Flavin Monooxygenase1 (AtFMO1) encodes for an enzyme that hydroxylates the metabolite Pipecolic acid (Pip) into N-hydroxylated Pipecolic Acid (NHP). A lack of functional FMO1 enzyme (no NHP biosynthesis) results in compromised SAR. Currently, little is known about the FMO genes in wheat or how an NHP pathway might influence resistance against diseases. During my PhD, I used the knowledge gained from the model Arabidopsis system to investigate SAR-like induction in bread wheat against infection by the biotrophic fungal pathogen Puccinia triticina (Pt) causing the agronomically important disease, wheat leaf rust. Using multi-omics approaches, I studied key wheat defense genes and their changes in expression under NHP-primed resistance when infected by Pt, investigated the changes in the levels of SAR-related signaling metabolites (Pip, NHP) occurring at local versus distal tissues during infection, and tested the function of several wheat FMO candidates in Arabidopsis. Altogether, these results provide crucial insights towards improving whole-plant, broad-spectrum resistance in wheat.
Summerland RDC Main Conference Room and Zoom
Thursday October 10, 2024
10:00 – 11:00 AM (PST)