Descripción del proyecto
Comprender las respuestas celulares de las plantas ante los daños mecánicos inducidos internamente
Los nematodos («Nemata») son una de las principales amenazas para los cultivos alimentarios del mundo. Los nematodos quísticos endoparásitos son un grupo de nematodos con especial importancia económica. Forman quistes en las raíces de las plantas y dañan los tejidos vasculares de las raíces con su sincitio, una estructura de alimentación especializada. Se desconoce la respuesta celular de las plantas al daño mecánico, lo cual dificulta el desarrollo de plantas que resistan a los daños. El equipo del proyecto PREENER, que cuenta con el apoyo de las Acciones Marie Skłodowska-Curie, estudiará las respuestas moleculares ante las lesiones mecánicas de las células que rodean los tejidos vasculares. La lesión será inducida con precisión mediante tecnología microscópica avanzada y ablación láser de alta tecnología. Una mejor comprensión de las medidas de barrera física de las plantas respaldará el desarrollo de plantas resistentes.
Objetivo
Plant-parasitic nematodes are microscopic organisms with exceptionally broad host range that pose major challenge to global agriculture, generate a predicted loss of 12.3 percent, equivalent to $157 billion each year. The losses caused by nematodes are further enhanced when they form disease-complexes with other microbes. Endoparasitic cyst nematodes are one of two most devastating groups, infecting the roots of economically important plants. The nematodes are a persistent problem because they have evolved an ability to secrete specific proteins to exploit the host plant’s development and suppress defense responses triggered by the plant. They begin feeding only after developing a specialized feeding structure (syncytium) inside the host root, by selecting a single cell near the innermost nutrient-rich vascular tissues, causing cellular injury by passing through multiple layers of different cell files. The majority of previous research has been on syncytium formation as infection proceeds. However, it is unknown how plants respond at the cellular level to the mechanical damage caused by nematodes, which prevents the creation of resistant plants to minimize crop losses. In the proposed study, cells from two internal consecutive cell layers surrounding the vascular tissues will be studied for their molecular responses to mechanical injury. The control of lignin and suberin production, which function as physical barriers against invading pathogens, will be studied in particular. Advanced microscopic technology will be utilized to accurately produce mechanical damage in selected internal root cells using a cutting-edge method called laser ablation. It will offer a strong platform for the creation of resistance agricultural plants against plant parasitic nematodes in the long run. The project will use a variety of high-tech multidisciplinary approaches to provide a framework for researching plant physical barrier measures against invasive plant diseases.
Ámbito científico
Programa(s)
- HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Main Programme
Régimen de financiación
HORIZON-AG-UN - HORIZON Unit GrantCoordinador
750 07 Uppsala
Suecia