Objective
Fusarium wilts caused by different formae speciales of the soilborne phytopathogenic fungus Fusarium oxysporum provoke severe yield losses on many crop plants in Europe and world-wide. A better understanding of the molecular mechanisms controlling pathogenicity is needed in order to improve disease control strategies. Saponins are common plant secondary metabolites occurring in over 100 families including many major food crops. Many of them have pronounced antifungal properties, and it has been proposed that they act as pre-formed determinants of resistance to attack by fungi. Some pathogenic fungi have intrinsic resistance to the membranolytic action of saponins because of their membrane composition, whereas other produce enzymes (saponinases) that specifically detoxify particular plant saponins. These enzyme activities have been associated with the ability to attack certain plants.
The saponin alpha-tomatine, found in tomato plants, is toxic to a broad range of fungi. Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. lycopersici, a tomato pathogen, produces an extracellular enzyme, known as tomatinase, which catalyses the hydrolysis of alpha-tomatine into its nonfungitoxic forms, tomatidine and beta-lycotetraose. The aim of this project is to determine the significance of tomatinase in the pathogenicity of Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. lycopersici to tomato. The specific role of tomatinase in this plant-pathogen interaction will be first assessed by studying tomatinase-minus fungal mutants generated by targeted gene disruption and overproducing strains with constitutive expression of the tomatinase gene. Additionally, a reporter gene system will be used to analyse the mechanism by which tomatinase expression is regulated in vivo during the process of infection.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences biological sciences microbiology mycology
- agricultural sciences agriculture, forestry, and fisheries agriculture
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules proteins enzymes
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Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
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Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Coordinator
14080 CORDOBA
Spain
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.