| Abstract Detail
Plant-Pathogen Interactions Perricone, Adam [1], Goff, Kerry [2], Ramonell, Katrina [3]. Characterization Of Arabidopsis crp1 Gene in relation to Fungal Resistance. Plants in the environment are constantly in danger of being infected by a variety of disease-causing organisms including bacteria, viruses, fungi, and nematodes. In order to resist attacks from these organisms, plants may use both preformed defenses (antimicrobial compounds) and inducible or innate defense responses. Innate immunity is an ancient and vital mechanism by which plants can resist pathogen attacks from these harmful organisms. An innate immune response in plants can be triggered by one of several cues or elicitors; including the oligosaccharide chitin. Upon exposure to chitin, Arabidopsis induces a novel signaling pathway leading to defense responses. In a previous study we utilized microarray technology to determine gene expression profiles of Arabidopsis in response to treatment with chitin. We identified a gene, crp1 (chitin response protein) that is strongly expressed upon treatment with chitin. CRP1 is an uncharacterized disease resistance-like protein containing leucine-rich repeat (LRR) regions and protein kinase activity. Leucine rich repeats provide a versatile structural framework for protein-protein interactions, and several such disease resistance proteins have been demonstrated to participate in protein complexes. Insertional mutations in crp1 resulted in increased susceptibility to the powdery mildew pathogen Erysiphe cichoracearum as compared to wild type plants. In order to further characterize the role of crp1 in plant defense, over-expression lines of crp1 will be created and tested for their disease resistance phenotypes. To determine where crp1 is localized during infection, reporter gene constructs of crp1 with GUS and GFP will also be tested. These studies will provide important information on the signaling mechanisms behind chitin-induced innate immunity leading to a more thorough understanding of plant defense mechanisms.
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1 - University of Alabama, Biological Sciences, University of Alabama, PO box 863405, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, 35486, United States
2 - The University of Alabama, Biological Sciences, 607 Main Ave #302, Northport, AL, 35476, USA
3 - University of Alabama Tuscaloosa, Biological Sciences
Keywords:
defense mechanisms
resistance genes
Arabidopsis
crp1.
Presentation Type: Plant Biology Abstract
Session: P
Location: Exhibit Hall (Northeast, Southwest & Southeast)/Hilton
Date: Sunday, July 8th, 2007
Time: 8:00 AM
Number: P15075
Abstract ID:1772 |
