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Research Project:
Molecular Approaches to Understanding Host Resistance and Pathogen Variability for Improving Potato Disease Management
Location:
Vegetable Laboratory
Project Number: 1275-21220-187-00
Project Type:
Appropriated
Start Date: Apr 25, 2003
End Date: Apr 24, 2008
Objective:
Investigate strategies for protecting potato quality and yields against late blight and common scab diseases caused by Phytophthora infestans and Streptomyces scabies. Characterize aspects of resistance or susceptibility to P. infestans and S. scabies, including assessment of the role of specific potato genes in quantitative late blight resistance and in disease resistance responses, and responses of different potato varieties to scab. Utilize an alternative method for producing disease-resistant potatoes by expressing antimicrobial peptides in transgenic plants. Develop rapid protocols to aid in identification of new more virulent pathogen isolates, monitor the origins and spread of disease, and characterize pathogen variability. Determine underlying disease resistance mechanisms in potato, and infection mechanisms and genetic variability in pathogens that can be used in developing and selecting potato germplasm resistant to P. infestans and S. scabies.
Approach:
(a) Characterize the diversity in alleles of 4 defense-related gene families encoding WRKY motif-containing proteins, osmotin, phenylalanine ammonia lyase, and chalcone isomerase that map to quantitative trait loci for late blight resistance, and relate this diversity to differences in late blight resistance among wild Solanum species and cultivated potato germplasm. Compare cDNA libraries generated from potato leaves infected with a virulent and a less virulent Phytophthora infestans isolate by sequencing at least 1000 ESTs from each library. Examine scab susceptibility in potato breeding material using a reliable assay with well-characterized, pathogenic Streptomyces scabies isolates. (b) Identify antimicrobial proteins and peptides inhibitory to P. infestans by screening peptide libraries. Develop methods for efficient and effective production of these inhibitory molecules in potato plants, utilizing gene promoter analysis and fusion protein studies. (c) Characterize molecular features used in P. infestans genotyping studies, primarily the gene encoding glucose-6-phosphoisomerase, and RG 57 fingerprint bands from Southern blots. Characterization will involve cDNA and genomic DNA cloning and sequencing. Proteins secreted from P. infestans will be investigated to assess their role in pathogenicity and/or virulence. Extracellular proteins will be analyzed in acrylamide protein gels and by cDNA cloning. Find molecular features useful in rapid simple identification of pathogenic Streptomyces scabies strains. BSL-1; recertified 8/16/01.
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