Boyce Thompson Institute For Plant Research Inc

THE PURPOSE OF THIS COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT IS TO FUND RESEARCH IN SUPPORT OF BTO IN THE AMOUNT OF 1,661,679 ON CONTRACT HR0011-17-2-0053.

TOMATO CHROMOSOME 1 AND 10 SEQUENCING, COORDINATION AND BIOINFORMATICS FOR THE INTERNATIONAL SOLANACEAE GENOME INITIATIVE

SMALL MOLECULE SIGNALING IN C. ELEGANS

RESEARCH-PGR: LEVERAGING NATURAL VARIATION IN TOMATO TO IDENTIFY, CHARACTERIZE, AND DEPLOY NEW SOURCES OF DISEASE RESISTANCE

A TWO COMPONENT ACTIVATOR/DISSOCIATION PLATFORM FOR REVERSE AND FORWARD GENETIC ANALYSIS IN MAIZE

ARABIDOPSIS 2010: THE ARABIDOPSIS SALICYLIC ACID SIGNALING NETWORK: A PARADIGM FOR PHYTOHORMONE SIGNALING

TRTECH-PGR: IDENTIFICATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF STRESS-RESPONSIVE AND EVOLUTIONARY CONSERVED EPITRANSCRIPTOMIC MODIFICATION SITES IN PLANT TRANSCRIPTOMES.

DISCOVERY AND BREEDING OF BIOTIC AND ABIOTIC TRAITS FOR GRAIN AND FRUIT CROPS

SMALL MOLECULE SIGNALING IN CAENORHABDITIS ELEGANS

DS REGIONAL MUTAGENESIS: A PLATFORM FOR DEFINING GENE FUNCTION IN MAIZE

RESEARCH-PGR: FUNCTIONAL GENOMICS OF BENEFICIAL LEGUME-MICROBE INTERACTIONS

U.S. CONTRIBUTION TO THE INTERNATIONAL SOLANACEAE GENOME EFFORT

ROLE OF BACTERIAL VIRULENCE PROTEINS IN PLANT CELL DEATH

USING MODIFIED INSECT NEUROPEPTIDES TO C

PROBING MECHANISMS OF C4 CARBON CAPTURE

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: DIMENSIONS: INTEGRATING PHYLOGENETICS, ECOPHYSIOLOGY, AND TRANSCRIPTOMICS TO UNDERSTAND THE DIVERSITY OF HORNWORT-CYANOBACTERIUM SYMBIOSIS

FUNCTION AND REGULATION OF CHLOROPLAST-ENCODED ANTISENSE RNAS

RAPID

STARVATION-INDUCED SOCIAL BEHAVIOR IN C. ELEGANS

IOS EDGE: DEVELOPMENT OF GENETIC AND GENOMIC RESOURCES FOR MILKWEED, ASCLEPIAS SYRIACA AND ASCLEPIAS CURASSAVICA

RCN: ENHANCING GLOBAL PLANT TRANSFORMATION CAPACITY THROUGH RESEARCH, TRAINING, AND PARTNERSHIPS -WORLDWIDE CROP PRODUCTION NEEDS TO INCREASE AT LEAST 50% TO MEET THE DEMANDS FOR FOOD, FEED, AND FIBER OF A GROWING POPULATION. THE NEED FOR INCREASED PRODUCTION COINCIDES WITH A TIME OF CHANGING CLIMATE THAT MAKES CROP PRODUCTION MORE CHALLENGING. HENCE, IT HAS BECOME MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVER TO UNDERSTAND HOW PLANTS WORK, AND SPECIFICALLY TO IDENTIFY GENES THAT ALLOW PLANTS TO HAVE HIGH YIELDS AND ADAPT TO ADVERSE GROWING CONDITIONS. THE MOST POWERFUL TOOL AVAILABLE TO IDENTIFY GENE FUNCTION, WHICH PLAYS AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN IMPROVING PLANTS, IS GENE EDITING. HOWEVER, GENE EDITING CAN BE PROHIBITIVELY EXPENSIVE AND CAN ONLY BE EFFICIENTLY USED IN A HANDFUL OF CROPS. THE GOAL OF THIS RESEARCH COORDINATION NETWORK IS TO MAKE IT EASIER FOR RESEARCHERS FROM ACROSS THE U.S. AND BEYOND TO EXCHANGE INFORMATION AND IDEAS TO DEVELOP NEW APPROACHES TO IMPROVE GENE EDITING EFFICIENCY IN PLANTS. IT WILL ALSO ACT AS A CENTRAL REPOSITORY OF INFORMATION AND ORGANIZE TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES TO ENSURE THAT A NEW AND DIVERSE GENERATION OF SCIENTISTS WILL BE AVAILABLE TO TAKE ON GENE DISCOVERY RESEARCH NEEDED TO ADVANCE AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTIVITY AND THE U.S. BIOECONOMY. PLANT GENETIC ENGINEERING (TRANSFORMATION) AND GENE EDITING ARE CRITICAL TOOLS FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF PLANT FUNCTIONAL GENOMICS RESEARCH, AND GENOMICS-BASED CROP IMPROVEMENT. CURRENT TRANSFORMATION SYSTEMS ARE SIGNIFICANTLY LIMITED BY INEFFICIENT, COMPLICATED METHODS, AND A LACK OF TRAINING AND EXPERTISE IN THE ART AND SCIENCE OF TRANSFORMATION BIOLOGY AND TECHNIQUES. THERE IS A CRITICAL NEED FOR INCREASING PLANT TRANSFORMATION CAPACITY WORLDWIDE. IMPROVING CAPACITY WILL REQUIRE 1) RESEARCH ADVANCES ACROSS TRANSFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES; AND 2) ENHANCED KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGE AND TRAINING IN TRANSFORMATION BIOLOGY AND TECHNIQUES. WITH NSF SUPPORT, THE PLANT GENETIC ENGINEERING NETWORK RESEARCH COORDINATION NETWORK (PLANTGENE) HAS BEEN ESTABLISHED TO FACILITATE RESEARCH AND TO ENSURE SHARING OF TECHNOLOGY, KNOWLEDGE, AND EXPERTISE. THE GOAL OF PLANTGENE IS TO ENSURE THAT EXISTING KNOWLEDGE AND NEW INFORMATION GAINED FROM RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT ON TRANSFORMATION ARE RAPIDLY AND INCLUSIVELY SHARED ACROSS THE RESEARCH COMMUNITY. TO MEET THIS GOAL, PLANTGENE WILL 1) ESTABLISH A GLOBAL NETWORK OF RESEARCHERS FROM PUBLIC AND PRIVATE ORGANIZATIONS TO COLLECTIVELY ADDRESS THE CURRENT CHALLENGES; 2) FACILITATE COLLABORATION AND TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES; 3) EXPLOIT ESTABLISHED RELATIONSHIPS WITH INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH INSTITUTES TO ENABLE TRANSFER OF KNOWLEDGE, TECHNOLOGIES, AND METHODOLOGIES TO LABORATORIES IN UNDERSERVED REGIONS; 4) SHARE PROVEN AND STATE-OF-THE-ART METHODS, DEVELOP TRAINING MODULES, AND OFFER VIRTUAL AND IN-PERSON WORKSHOPS DESIGNED AND LED BY EXPERTS IN PLANT TRANSFORMATION; AND 5) ENGAGE WITH PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY ORGANIZATIONS SUCH AS THE SOCIETY FOR IN VITRO BIOLOGY (SIVB) AND THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGISTS (IAPB). ALL PROJECT INFORMATION AND OUTCOMES WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE TO THE BROADER PLANT RESEARCH COMMUNITY. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.

THE GENETIC BASIS OF SINGLET OXYGEN-MEDIATED SIGNALING IN EUKARYOTIC CELLS

DIFFERENTIAL REGULATION OF PLASITD MRNA STABLILITY

RCN: THE COORDINATED PLANT SCIENCE RESEARCH AND EDUCATION NETWORK

GENETIC DISSECTION OF AM SYMBIOSIS TO IMPROVE THE SUSTAINABILITY OF FEEDSTOCK PRODUCTION

PROTEIN INTERACTION TOPOLOGIES REGULATING VIRUS TRANSMISSION BY INSECT VECTORS

MECHANISMS OF VIRAL PROTEIN TRAFFICKING IN POLARIZED INSECT CELLS

JOINT NSF/ERA-CAPS: MECHANISMS OF NATURAL VARIATION IN MAIZE HERBIVORE RESISTANCE

** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** PHOSPHOROUS IS ESSENTIAL FOR PLANT GROWTH AND IN MANY AGRICULTURAL SOILS PHOSPHORUS AVAILABILITY LIMITS CROP PRODUCTION. PHOSPHATE-RICH FERTILIZERS CAN TEMPORARILY OFFSETS THESE DEFICIENCIES, BUT HIGH FERTILIZER USEAGE COMES WITH BOTH ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL COSTS; LEACHING OF EXCESS PI POLLUTES AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS, AND ROCK PHOSPHATE RESERVES, FROM WHICH PI-FERTILIZERS ARE DERIVED, ARE BEING DEPLETED. CONSEQUENTLY, INCREASING THE EFFICIENCY OF PHOSPHATE CAPTURE BY CROPS IS IMPORTANT FOR THE ENVIRONMENT AND FOR AGRICULTURAL SUSTAINABILITY. ONE APPROACH IS TO HARNESS THE PLANTS MICROBIAL PARTNERS. MOST PLANT SPECIES, INCLUDING ALL THE MAJOR FOOD CROPS, CAN INCREASE THEIR ACCESS TO PHOSPHATE THROUGH SYMBIOTIC ASSOCIATIONS WITH ARBUSCULAR MYCORRHIZAL (AM) FUNGI. AM FUNGI GROW WITHIN AND AROUND PLANT ROOTS WHERE THEIR HYPHAE CAPTURE AND TRANSFER PHOSPHATE DIRECTLY TO ROOTS. AM FUNGI HAVE CONSERVED MICROBIAL COMMUNITIES ASSOCIATED WITH THEIR HYPHAL SURFACES AND THESE COMMUNITIES HAVE THEPOTENTIAL TO INFLUENCE FUNGAL BIOLOGY AND SUBSEQUENTLY PLANT PERFORMANCE DURING AM SYMBIOSIS. IN THIS PROJECT, WE WILL EXTEND KNOWLEDGE OF HYPHAE-ASSOCIATED MICROBIAL COMMUNITY COMPOSITION IN A RANGE OF SOIL PHOSPHORUS CONDITIONS THROUGH SEQUENCE-BASED PROFILING APPROACHES. USING HIPR-FISH, A RECENTLY DEVELOPED IMAGING APPROACH THAT HAS BEEN DEPLOYED SUCCESSFULLY IN HUMAN MICROBIOME RESEARCH, THE SPATIAL ORGANIZATION OF THE MICROBIAL COMMUNITIES ON THE HYPHAE WILL BE MAPPED. SPATIAL DATA ARE VALUABLE BECAUSE HIGHER LEVEL FUNCTIONS OF A MICROBIAL COMMUNITY MAY ARISE AS THE RESULT OF MICROBIAL INTERACTIONS. COMMUNITY COMPOSITION, GENOME SEQUENCES AND SPATIAL MAPPING DATA WILL INFORM THE ASSEMBLY OF SYNTHETIC MICROBIAL COMMUNITIES. THESE WILL BE EVALUATED FOR THEIR ABILITY TO ENHANCE PLANT PHOSPHORUS NUTRITION DURING AM SYMBIOSIS, WITH A FOCUS ON ACCESSING RESIDUAL SOIL ORGANIC PHOSPHATE POOLS. THE DATA GENERATED WILL CONTRIBUTE TO A HOLISTIC UNDERSTANDING OF AM SYMBIOSES AND GUIDE PRACTICES TO IMPROVE PHOSPHATE CAPTURE AND ULTIMATELY REDUCE HIGH FERTILIZER INPUTS IN AGRICULTURE.

** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** FIGHTBLIGHT IS AN INNOVATIVE AND GOAL-ORIENTED PROJECT AIMED AT COMBATING POTATO LATE BLIGHT, THE MOST FORMIDABLE CHALLENGE TO GLOBAL POTATO PRODUCTION. OUR GOAL IS TO INTRODUCE NEW TRAITS FOR DISEASE RESISTANCE THAT WOULD REVOLUTIONIZE HOW WE PROTECT POTATOES FROM THISDEVASTATING DISEASE.THE PROJECT HAS THREE MAIN OBJECTIVES:1. BIOENGINEERING: DEVELOP SOLANACEOUS IMMUNE DECOY RECEPTORS(NLR-ID) SCAFFOLDS TO COMBAT THE HIGHLY VIRULENT STRAINS OF THE POTATO LATE BLIGHT PATHOGEN PHYTOPHTHORA INFESTANS FOUND IN THE FIELD. SOPHIEN KAMOUN LEADS THIS WORK PACKAGE AT THE SAINSBURY LABORATORY(TSL) IN THE UK.2. CISGENICS: UTILIZE EXONUCLEASE-ENDONUCLEASE FUSIONS FOR PRECISE GENETIC ENGINEERING, INCLUDING TARGETED INSERTIONS AND REPLACEMENTS OF CONVENTIONAL INTEGRATED DOMAINS/DECOYS (IDS) WITH INNOVATIVE IDS.THIS PROCESS WILL DELIVER ENGINEERED NLR-IDS CREATED IN OBJECTIVE 1 THROUGH A CISGENIC APPROACH, OVERSEEN BY ALAIN TISSIER AT THE LEIBNIZ INSTITUTE IN GERMANY.3. PATHOLOGY: TEST CISGENIC POTATO VARIETIES EQUIPPED WITH THE NEWLY ENGINEERED NLR-ID RECEPTORS FOR DURABLE RESISTANCE IN BOTH CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENTS AND FIELD TRIALS AGAINST EPIDEMIC STRAINS OF PHYTOPHTHORAINFESTANS. THIS ACTIVITY WILL BE LED BY SILVIA RESTREPO AT THE BOYCE THOMPSON INSTITUTE IN THE US.OUR CENTRAL HYPOTHESIS IS THAT BY ENGINEERING NLR-ID SCAFFOLDS TO INCLUDE EFFECTOR TARGETS OF P. INFESTANS, WE CAN ACTIVATE SPECIFIC IMMUNE RECEPTORS AND ACHIEVE DISEASE RESISTANCE. THIS PROPOSAL BUILDS ON PRIOR RESEARCH DEMONSTRATING THE POTENTIAL FOR SHUFFLING NLR-ID WITH UNCONVENTIONAL EFFECTOR TARGETS, PLANT-DERIVED DOMAINS, AND ANTIBODIES, INTRODUCING UNPRECEDENTED FUNCTIONALITIES INTO THE PLANT IMMUNE SYSTEM.THE TIMING FOR FIGHTBLIGHT COULD NOT BE BETTER. ADVANCES IN GENE-EDITING TECHNOLOGY NOW PERMIT EFFICIENT, SCAR-FREE TARGETED INSERTIONS AND GENETIC MODIFICATIONS OVER EXTENSIVE SEQUENCES. BY THE END OF THIS GRANT, WE WILL HAVE DEVELOPED NOVEL CISGENIC TRAITS AND GATHERED FIELD DATA DEMONSTRATING ROBUST RESISTANCE TO P. INFESTANS.FIGHTBLIGHT ALIGNS PERFECTLY WITH THE RESEARCH THEME OF PROGRAMMABLE PLANTS, AS WE SEEK TO BIOENGINEER POTATOES WITH NEW CHARACTERISTICS THAT ENABLE THEM TO WITHSTAND BLIGHT. THIS PROJECT STANDS AS A PIONEERING EXAMPLE OF HOW GENE EDITING (GE) AND CISGENIC APPROACHES CAN OFFER SOLUTIONS TO CROP DISEASES, POTENTIALLY SETTING A NEW STANDARD FOR AGRICULTURAL BIOTECHNOLOGY.

REU SITE: PLANT GENOME RESEARCH

** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** WITH AN EVER-INCREASING WORLD POPULATION, IT WILL BE NECESSARY TO PRODUCE MORE FOOD WITH FEWER INPUTS FROM THE AGRICULTURAL LAND THAT IS CURRENTLY IN CULTIVATION. TO CONTINUE IMPROVING CROP PLANT PRODUCTIVITY IN THE UNITED STATES, MEET GOALS OF THE USDA REEU PROGRAM, AND ADDRESS THE AFRI FARM BILL PRIORITY AREAS AGRICULTURE SYSTEMS AND TECHNOLOGY AND PLANT HEALTH AND PRODUCTION AND PLANT PRODUCTS, IT IS IMPERATIVE TO TRAIN FUTURE SCIENTISTS WHO CAN DEVELOP AND APPLY INNOVATIVE AGRICULTURAL TECHNOLOGIES USING A COMBINATION OF PLANT BIOLOGY AND ENGINEERING RESEARCH APPROACHES. A FIVE-YEAR UNDERGRADUATE INTERNSHIP PROGRAM WILL BE IMPLEMENTED AT THE BOYCE THOMPSON INSTITUTE AND CORNELL UNIVERSITY. EACH SUMMER, TWELVE UNDERGRADUATES FROM THROUGHOUT THE UNITED STATES WILL CONDUCT INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH FOR TEN WEEKS IN THE LABORATORIES OF TWELVE PLANT BIOLOGY AND ENGINEERING FACULTY MENTORS. EARLY-CAREER UNDERGRADUATE PARTICIPANTS WILL BE CHOSEN BASED ON ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE, AS WELL AS CULTURAL AND ETHNIC DIVERSITY. UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCHERS WILL RECEIVE TRAINING IN THE APPLICATION OF NEW TECHNOLOGIES TO BOTH BASIC AND APPLIED AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH. STUDENT PROJECTS WILL INCLUDE HIGH-THROUGHPUT AUTOMATED PHENOTYPING, ROBOTIC SCOUTING IN AGRICULTURAL FIELDS, DEVELOPMENT OF NETWORKED MICROSENSORS THAT REPORT PLANT WATER STATUS, IMPLEMENTATION OF NEW PLANT TRANSFORMATION METHODS, AND CONSTRUCTION OF SYNTHETIC BIOSENSORS. IN ADDITION TO CONDUCTING HANDS-ON AGRICULTURAL ENGINEERING RESEARCH, STUDENTS WILL RECEIVE TRAINING IN BIOINFORMATICS, PROJECT PLANNING, SCIENTIFIC ETHICS, RESEARCH PRESENTATIONS, AND WRITING GRADUATE SCHOOL APPLICATIONS.

WITH RECENT SIMPLIFICATION OF THE APPROVAL PROCESS FOR GENETICALLY ENGINEERED CROPS IN THE UNITED STATES, PROGRESSIVELY MORE COMPANIES WILL PRODUCE CONSUMER-ORIENTED TRANSGENIC FRUITS AND VEGETABLES. THIS TRANSITION MAKES IT IMPERATIVE TO PROVIDE INFORMATION TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC ABOUT THE MECHANISMS OF PLANT GENETIC ENGINEERING AND THE POTENTIAL SOCIETAL BENEFITS OF IMPROVED FOOD PRODUCTS. AT THE SAME TIME, IT WILL BE NECESSARY TO TRAIN STUDENTS FOR FUTURE WORK IN THE EXPANDING AGRICULTURAL BIOTECHNOLOGY INDUSTRY. TO MEET THESE NEEDS, WE WILL IMPLEMENT AN EDUCATION AND OUTREACH PROGRAM FOR MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS FROM UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES IN RURAL UPSTATE NEW YORK. IN A COMMUNITY SCIENCE PROGRAM, WHICH WILL BE ORGANIZED IN COLLABORATION WITH NEW YORK STATE 4-H AND NORFOLK HEALTHY PRODUCE, 100 STUDENTS EACH YEAR WILL GROW AND EVALUATE TRANSGENIC HIGH-ANTHOCYANIN PURPLE TOMATOES. WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF A PROFESSIONAL SCIENCE COMMUNICATOR, YOUTHS WILL PRODUCE FIVE PUBLICLY AVAILABLE ONLINE LEARNING MODULES THAT DESCRIBE THE CREATION OF THESE TOMATOES AND OTHER ASPECTS OF AGRICULTURAL BIOTECHNOLOGY. EACH SUMMER, SIX COMMUNITY SCIENCE PARTICIPANTS FROM THE PREVIOUS YEAR WILL BE SELECTED TO RECEIVE HANDS-ON PLANT MOLECULAR BIOLOGY TRAINING IN LABORATORIES AT THE BOYCE THOMPSON INSTITUTE AND CORNELL UNIVERSITY. IN THIS PAID SEVEN-WEEK INTERNSHIP, HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS WILL LEARN SCIENTIFIC METHODS AND WILL PRESENT THEIR RESULTS IN A POSTER AT A SYMPOSIUM. ADDITIONALLY, EACH STUDENT WILL DEVELOP SCIENCE COMMUNICATION CONTENT TO PUBLICIZE THEIR RESEARCH OR, MORE GENERALLY, AGRICULTURAL BIOTECHNOLOGY. WITH THESE COMMUNICATION AND TRAINING APPROACHES, THE PROJECT WILL PROMOTE APPRECIATION OF AGRICULTURAL BIOTECHNOLOGY BY THE GENERAL PUBLIC.

BREAD: DETERMINING THE PAN-AFRICAN SWEET POTATO VIROME: UNDERSTANDING VIRUS DIVERSITY, DISTRIBUTION AND EVOLUTION AND THEIR IMPACTS ON SWEET POTATO P

GENETIC, MOLECULAR AND BIOCHEMICAL BASIS OF RESISTANCE TO TURNIP CRINKLE VIRUS IN ARABIDOPSIS

VIM METHYLCYTOSINE-BINDING PROTEINS AND THEIR ROLE IN EPIGENETIC REGULATION

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: PURSUIT: UNCOVERING THE HIDDEN DIVERSITY OF GLOEOBACTERIA, AN ENIGMATIC LINEAGE CRUCIAL FOR UNDERSTANDING THE EARLY EVOLUTION OF CYANOBACTERIA -THE EMERGENCE OF CYANOBACTERIA APPROXIMATELY 2 BILLION YEARS AGO WAS A PIVOTAL MOMENT IN EARTH'S HISTORY. CYANOBACTERIA INCREASED THE AMOUNT OF OXYGEN IN THE ATMOSPHERE FROM NEARLY NONE TO OVER 10% OF MODERN LEVELS THROUGH THE PROCESS OF OXYGENIC PHOTOSYNTHESIS. THIS OXYGEN-RICH ATMOSPHERE ALLOWED FOR THE EVOLUTION OF AEROBIC RESPIRATION AND COMPLEX LIFE FORMS. HOWEVER, TRACING THE EARLY EVOLUTION OF CYANOBACTERIA HAS BEEN CHALLENGING BECAUSE CYANOBACTERIA RARELY EVER FORM FOSSILS. IN ADDITION, MOST MODERN CYANOBACTERIA ARE PHYCOBACTERIA, AND THEIR SISTER LINEAGE, GLOEOBACTERIA, ARE VERY RARE ? UNTIL 2020 WE ONLY KNEW OF TWO SPECIES. THE POOR REPRESENTATION OF GLOEOBACTERIA HAS MADE IT DIFFICULT TO DETERMINE IF THEIR UNIQUE FEATURES WERE ANCESTRAL OR RESULTS OF SPECIFIC EVOLUTIONARY PATHS. RECENT DISCOVERIES, HOWEVER, HAVE REVEALED A MUCH GREATER DIVERSITY WITHIN GLOEOBACTERIA THAN PREVIOUSLY RECOGNIZED, ESPECIALLY IN HIGH-LATITUDE AND HIGH-ALTITUDE HABITATS. THIS PROJECT AIMS TO COMPREHENSIVELY CHARACTERIZE THE HIDDEN DIVERSITY OF GLOEOBACTERIA, WHICH WILL SHED NEW LIGHT ON THE EARLY EVOLUTION OF OXYGENIC PHOTOSYNTHESIS, A PROCESS THAT FUNDAMENTALLY SHIFTED THE TRAJECTORIES OF LIFE ON EARTH. THE FIRST AIM INVOLVES ISOLATING NEW GLOEOBACTERIA CULTURES THROUGH TARGETED FIELDWORK AND REAL-TIME NANOPORE SEQUENCING. THESE CULTURES WILL BE CHARACTERIZED IN THE SECOND AIM BASED ON THEIR GENOMIC, PHYLOGENETIC, MORPHOLOGICAL, AND PHYSIOLOGICAL TRAITS, LEADING TO DETAILED TAXONOMIC DESCRIPTIONS. THE THIRD AIM FOCUSES ON FOSTERING INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH BY ORGANIZING A WORKSHOP TO UNITE EXPERTS FROM VARIOUS FIELDS. THIS STUDY IS CRUCIAL FOR COMPREHENDING THE EVOLUTION OF CYANOBACTERIA, AS GLOEOBACTERIA HOLD KEY INSIGHTS INTO THE ORIGINS OF OXYGENIC PHOTOSYNTHESIS. THE PROJECT PLANS TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF KNOWN GLOEOBACTERIA STRAINS TENFOLD AND SIGNIFICANTLY EXPAND THE NUMBER OF DESCRIBED SPECIES, BRIDGING HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF YEARS OF EVOLUTIONARY HISTORY. FURTHER, GIVEN THAT POLAR REGIONS ARE DISPROPORTIONATELY THREATENED BY CLIMATE CHANGE, THIS WORK WILL HELP DOCUMENT AND CONSERVE KEY MICROBIAL DIVERSITY BEFORE THESE HABITATS DISAPPEAR. STUDENT TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES WILL BE PROVIDED AT VARIOUS ACADEMIC LEVELS, AND BY PARTNERING WITH LET?S BOTANIZE, THE FINDINGS OF THIS RESEARCH WILL BE BROADLY COMMUNICATED TO THE PUBLIC. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.- SUBAWARDS ARE NOT PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

ABIOTIC STRESSES, SUCH AS DROUGHT, HEAT, AND SALINITY, AFFECT NEGATIVELY FRUIT DEVELOPMENT POSING SEVERE CONSTRAINTS TO PLANT GROWTH AND PRODUCTIVITY. CULTIVATED TOMATO, A VALUABLE VEGETABLE CROP, IS SENSITIVE TO WATER DEFICIT WHICH LIMITS YIELD AND AFFECTS FRUIT QUALITY. A COMMON EFFECT OF DROUGHT STRESS OR IRREGULAR IRRIGATION IN TOMATO, AND OTHER FRUIT CROPS (E.G., PEPPER, SQUASH, CUCUMBER, AND MELON), IS THE DEVELOPMENT OF A FRUIT PHYSIOLOGICAL DISORDER CALLED BLOSSOM END ROT (BER), WHICH RESULTS IN UNMARKETABLE FRUITSAND IMPORTANT ECONOMIC LOSSES. DESPITE ITS ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE THE MOLECULAR MECHANISMS UNDERLYING BER DEVELOPMENT ARE NOT UNDERSTOOD,MAKING ITS PREVENTION VERY DIFFICULT. CURRENTLY NO CURE, OTHER THAN THE USE OF SPECIFIC AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES AND ADEQUATE FERTILIZER INPUTS, IS AVAILABLE TO REDUCE FRUIT SUSCEPTIBILITY.NOTABLY, KNOWLEDGE OF THE PROCESSES INVOLVED IN BER RESISTANCE IS STILL LACKING, WHICH LIMITS THE DEVELOPMENT OF RESISTANT TOMATO VARIETIES.WE HAVE OBSERVED THAT TOMATO FRUIT WITH A DEFICIENCY IN STARCH SYNTHESISARE REMARKABLY RESISTANT TO BER, WHICH MAKES THE STARCH-DEFICIENT FRUIT A UNIQUE SYSTEM TO INVESTIGATE THE RESISTANCE TO THIS DISORDER. THE MAIN GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO IDENTIFY THE MOLECULAR CHANGES OCURRING IN THE STARCHLESS FRUIT THAT LEAD TO RESISTANCE TO BER DAMAGE. OUR APPROACH WILL FOCUS ON INTEGRATING GENE EXPRESSION AND METABOLITE CHANGES TO FULLY CHARACTERIZE THE STRESS RESPONSE IN THE STARCH-DEFICIENT FRUIT AND TO IDENTIFY GENES THAT WILL CONSTITUTE TARGETS IN STRATEGIES TO IMPROVE FRUIT RESISTANCE TO BER. OUR LONG-TERM GOAL IS TO GENERATE TOMATO PLANTS RESISTANT TO BER WITH THE POTENTIAL TO WITHSTAND OTHER TYPES OF STRESS-INDUCED DAMAGE.THE DEVELOPMENT OF TOMATO PLANTS THAT SHOW AN INCREASED TOLERANCE TO WATER STRESS WHILE MAINTAINING OR EVEN IMPROVING FRUIT QUALITY, IS OF HIGH ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE AND HAS POTENTIAL LONG-RANGE BENEFITS FOR THE SUSTAINABILITY OF US AGRICULTURE.

ARTHROPOD-BASED LIBRARIES FOR HIGH THROUGHPUT SCREENING

RECENT ADVANCES IN APPLIED CORN BREEDING HAVE SHOWN THAT THERE ARE ADVANTAGES TO PRODUCING CORN PLANTS THAT HAVE A SHORT STATURE BUT THE SAME NUMBER OF LEAVES AS TALLER PLANTS. THESE SHORT CORN PLANTS ARE LESS PRONE TO LODGING, THAT IS TIPPING OVER DURING HIGH WIND, BUT NEVERTHELESS HAVE A YIELD THAT IS EQUAL TO THAT OF TALLER PLANTS. SEED COMPANIES HAVE RELEASED SHORT CORN LINES WITH IMPROVED AGRONOMIC PROPERTIES FOR GROWTH BY US FARMERS. HOWEVER, FURTHER RESEARCH IS NEEDED TO IDENTIFY THE GENETIC MECHANISMS THAT REGULATE CORN PLANT HEIGHT. AN INVESTIGATION OF CORN GENES THAT WERE THOUGHT TO PRIMARILY REGULATE PLANT DEFENSE AGAINST INSECTS UNEXPECTEDLY SHOWED THAT MUTATIONS IN THESE GENES PRODUCE PLANTS WITH A SHORTENED STATURE. THE MUTANT PLANTS HAVE THE SAME NUMBER OF LEAVES AS REGULAR CORN PLANTS, BUT THE LEAVES ARE SPACED MORE DENSELY ALONG THE STEM. THE PROPOSED RESEARCH WILL BE DIRECTED AT ELUCIDATING THE MECHANISMS BY WHICH THE IDENTIFIED GENES REGULATE CORN PLANT HEIGHT. ONE HYPOTHESIS THAT WILL BE TESTED IS THAT THE ABUNDANCE OF A KNOWN PLANT GROWTH HORMONE IS ALTERED IN THE CORN STEMS. THE EXPECTED RESULTS OF THIS RESEARCH WILL OPEN UP NEW OPPORTUNITIES FOR BREEDING IMPROVED SHORT CORN VARIETIES FOR PLANTING BY US FARMERS.

GENETIC INSTABILITY AT A COMPLEX GENE CLUSTER IN ARABIDOPSIS

ARABIDOPSIS 2010: REGULATION OF BRANCHED-CHAIN AMINO ACID BIOSYNTHESIS A PARADIGM FOR STUDYING OSMOTIC STRESS RESPONSES

BIOINFORMATIC ANALYSIS OF TRANSGENE EFFECTS ON CROP PLANTS - CHARACTERIZATION AND COMPUTATIONAL ANALYSIS OF THE EFFECT OF GENETIC MODIFICATION ON CROP PLANTS TO DETERMINE WHETHER GENETIC MODIFICATION RESULTS IN UNANTICIPATED CONSEQUENCES TO THE GENOME OR GENOME OUTPUTS INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO GENE EXPRESSION, METABOLISM OR SPECIFIC RELEVANT TRAITS.

ROLE OF THE MAI1 PROTEIN KINASE IN CONNECTING HOST RECOGNITION OF PATHOGEN EFFECTORS TO MAPK SIGNALING

ANALYSIS OF THE PLANT CORTICAL CELL PROGRAM THAT CONTROLS ARBUSCULE/PERIARBUSCULAR MEMBRANE DEVELOPMENT AND FUNCTION IN ARBUSCULAR MYCORRHIZAL SYMBIO

DEVELOPING PARETO FRONT MODELS FOR THE IMPROVED DESCRIPTION OF PLANT'S DYNAMIC ROOT SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE -WILD TOMATO ROOT STOCKS ARE USED TO ENHANCE CULTIVATED TOMATO PRODUCTIVITY AND ENVIRONMENTAL RESILIENCE. VISUALLY DISTINCT ROOT SHAPES OF WILD TOMATO CAN BE DISTINGUISHED BY EVALUATING THE ROOT ARCHITECTURE AS A NETWORK IN WHICH LATERAL ROOT TIPS, WHICH ABSORB WATER AND NUTRIENTS, NEED TO BE CONNECTED TO THE ROOT BASE, WHICH SUPPORTS SHOOT GROWTH. THIS NETWORK DESIGN CONSIDERS TWO COMPETING OBJECTIVES: MINIMIZING THE BUILDING BLOCKS OF A NETWORK (COST) AND MINIMIZING THE TRANSPORT TIME FROM ROOT TIPS TO ROOT BASE (SPEED). TO IMPROVE THE RELEVANCE OF THE MODEL TO THE PHYSIOLOGY OF PLANTS, THE MODEL WILL BE EXPANDED TO INCLUDE THE EFFECTS OF GRAVITATIONAL FORCES AND ACCOUNT FOR ANATOMICAL DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE MAIN AND LATERAL ROOTS. TO IDENTIFY THE GENES UNDERLYING ROOT NETWORK DESIGN, WE WILL USE GENETIC APPROACHES AND GENERATE MUTANT PLANTS THAT WILL BE EVALUATED FOR NETWORK EFFICIENCY, AS WELL AS PLANT PRODUCTIVITY AND RESILIENCE. UNDERSTANDING MATHEMATICAL AND GENETIC MECHANISMS UNDERLYING PLANT ARCHITECTURE WILL LEAD TO DESIGNING BETTER CROPS WITH IMPROVED PRODUCTIVITY AND STRESS RESILIENCE, THEREBY CONTRIBUTING TO INCREASED SUSTAINABILITY OF FOOD PRODUCTION. ADDITIONALLY, AN IMPROVED UNDERSTANDING OF BIOLOGICAL NETWORKS AND HOW THEY GROW CAN BE APPLIED TO TRANSPORTATION NETWORKS, ALLOWING TRANSIT SYSTEMS TO NATURALLY SCALE WITH POPULATION GROWTH. THIS PROJECT WILL DEVELOP METHODS FOR EXPLAINING AND OPTIMIZING THE STRUCTURE OF NATURAL TRANSPORTATION NETWORKS, SUCH AS THE ROOT SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE OF WILD TOMATO PLANTS. INITIAL WORK WILL INVOLVE DEVELOPING A NUMERICAL OPTIMIZATION ALGORITHM FOR CONSTRUCTING MINIMAL EUCLIDEAN STEINER TREES THAT ARE SUBJECTED TO NON-LINEAR CONSTRAINTS. WE WILL APPLY THE EUCLIDEAN STEINER TREE ALGORITHMS TOWARDS QUANTIFYING HOW TOMATO ROOT ARCHITECTURES OPTIMIZE TRADE-OFFS BETWEEN CONSERVING MATERIAL COSTS AND ENSURING EFFICIENT NUTRIENT AND WATER TRANSPORT, ESPECIALLY WHEN GROWTH TRAJECTORIES ARE CONSTRAINED BY GRAVITATIONAL FORCES AND DIFFERENTIAL COST/TRANSPORT QUALITIES IMPOSED BY THE DIFFERENCES IN ROOT ANATOMY. WE WILL ALSO STUDY MEASUREMENTS OF ROOT ARCHITECTURE GROWTH TO REVERSE-ENGINEER AN ALGORITHM FOR CONSTRUCTING OPTIMAL STEINER TREES USING PURELY DISTRIBUTED COMPUTATION. OUR GOAL IS TO USE FORWARD GENETICS TO IDENTIFY GENETIC COMPONENTS UNDERLYING THE DEVELOPMENT OF OPTIMAL ARCHITECTURES UNDER NON-STRESS AND SALT STRESS CONDITIONS. THE IDENTIFIED ALGORITHMS, IDEOTYPES AND GENETIC MECHANISMS WILL SERVE AS TARGETS FOR PLANT BREEDING AND GENETICALLY ENGINEERING STRESS-RESILIENT CROPS. WE ANTICIPATE THAT THE METHODS WE DEVELOP CAN BE GENERALIZED TOWARDS EXPLAINING, DESIGNING, AND OPTIMIZING TRANSPORTATION NETWORKS FOUND IN OTHER NATURAL AND ENGINEERED SYSTEMS. IN THE FUTURE, OUR WORK CAN PROVIDE INSIGHT INTO DESIGNING PUBLIC TRANSPORT NETWORKS THAT SCALE EFFICIENTLY. THIS PROJECT IS JOINTLY FUNDED BY THE DIVISION OF MATHEMATICAL SCIENCES, MATHEMATICAL BIOLOGY PROGRAM AND THE DIVISION OF INTEGRATIVE ORGANISMAL SYSTEMS, PLANT GENOME RESEARCH PROGRAM (PGRP) IN THE DIRECTORATE FOR BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.

EDGE TT: DEVELOPING TRANSFORMATION CAPACITY FOR ANTHOCEROS AGRESTIS TO FACILITATE GENE FUNCTION STUDIES IN HORNWORTS, A REMARKABLE PHYLUM OF PLANTS

VIRUS TRAFFICKING IN INSECT MIDGUT CELLS

METABOLOMICS: IDENTIFICATION OF INDUCIBLE BIOACTIVE PLANT METABOLITES

REU SITE: PLANT GENOME RESEARCH

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: FROM PHYLOGENY TO BIOMOLECULES: A CROSS-SCALE APPROACH TO UNDERSTAND THE MAKING OF A UNIQUE CARBON-CONCENTRATING MECHANISM IN HORNWORTS -NATURE?S CARBON FIXING ENZYME, RUBISCO, IS NOTORIOUSLY INEFFICIENT - OFTEN LIMITING THE GROWTH RATE OF PHOTOSYNTHETIC ORGANISMS, INCLUDING CROP SPECIES. SOME ORGANISMS HAVE FOUND A WAY AROUND THIS PROBLEM BY PACKAGING RUBISCO INTO COMPARTMENTS, CALLED PYRENOIDS, WHICH CONCENTRATE SUBSTRATE CO2 AROUND RUBISCO ACTIVE SITES. HORNWORTS ARE THE ONLY LAND PLANTS THAT HAVE A PYRENOID. THIS PROJECT SEEKS TO IDENTIFY THE HORNWORT PYRENOID COMPONENTS, CHARACTERIZE THE HORNWORT CARBON-FIXING ENZYME (I.E. RUBISCO) HOUSED WITHIN THE PYRENOIDS, AND DETERMINE HOW THE VARIOUS PYRENOID COMPONENTS INTERACT WITH EACH OTHER. THE RESULTS OF THIS STUDY WILL PROVIDE EVOLUTIONARY, BIOCHEMICAL, AND MECHANISTIC INSIGHTS INTO THE HORNWORT PYRENOID, AND MAKE A FIRST STEP TOWARDS GATHERING THE REQUISITE UNDERSTANDING TO TRANSPLANT HORNWORT PYRENOIDS INTO CROP PLANTS TO BOOST CARBON FIXATION. THIS PROJECT WILL ALSO TRAIN DIVERSE UNDERGRADUATES IN A RANGE OF COMPUTATIONAL AND EXPERIMENTAL TECHNIQUES, INCLUDING PLANT TISSUE CULTURE AND TRANSFORMATION AND BIOINFORMATICS. IN ADDITION, A THREE-PART VIDEO SERIES WILL BE PRODUCED TO PROVIDE A FUN AND INFORMATIVE INTRODUCTION TO HORNWORT DIVERSITY, EVOLUTION AND PYRENOIDS, AND DISTRIBUTED ON YOUTUBE AND OTHER ONLINE PLATFORMS. THE IMPORTANCE OF HORNWORT AND RUBISCO RESEARCH WILL BE FURTHER PROMOTED THROUGH ESTABLISHED PODCAST SERIES. PHOTOSYNTHESIS IS THE SOURCE OF ENERGY FOR ALMOST EVERY LIFE ON EARTH, AND IS OFTEN LIMITED BY THE CARBON FIXING ENZYME, RUBISCO. SOME ORGANISMS HAVE EVOLVED INGENIOUS WAYS TO CIRCUMVENT THESE LIMITATIONS, SUCH AS PYRENOIDS, WHICH ARE A KIND OF MEMBRANE-LESS ORGANELLE THAT LIQUID-LIQUID PHASE SEPARATES RUBISCO FROM THE STROMA. PYRENOIDS ACTIVELY CONCENTRATE SUBSTRATE CO2 AROUND RUBISCO ACTIVE SITES, THEREBY GREATLY ENHANCING THE EFFICIENCY OF CARBON FIXATION. HORNWORTS ARE THE ONLY LAND PLANTS WITH A PYRENOID, AND THESE HAVE TRANSLATIONAL POTENTIAL FOR IMPROVING C3 CROP EFFICIENCY. THE FACT THAT HORNWORT PYRENOIDS HAVE BEEN GAINED AND LOST OVER THE COURSE OF EVOLUTION OFFERS A UNIQUE PHYLOGENETIC REPLICATION FOR COMPARATIVE STUDIES. PUTATIVE PYRENOID COMPONENTS WILL BE IDENTIFIED USING COMPARATIVE GENOMICS, RNA-SEQ, AND PROTEOMICS, WHILE LEVERAGING REPEATED PYRENOID-PRESENT/ABSENT TRANSITIONS. THE SUBCELLULAR LOCALIZATION OF PUTATIVE PYRENOID COMPONENTS AND RUBISCO SUBUNITS WILL BE VALIDATED USING IN VIVO LOCALIZATION APPROACHES, AND RUBISCO POPULATIONS STRUCTURALLY CHARACTERIZED. A CONSTRUCTIONIST BIOLOGY APPROACH WILL IDENTIFY AND CHARACTERIZE INTERACTIONS BETWEEN RUBISCO AND RECOMBINANTLY-PRODUCED PUTATIVE PYRENOID COMPONENTS IN VITRO, AND WILL BE USED TO ASSESS THE POTENTIAL FOR RUBISCO PHASE SEPARATION. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.

METABOLIC AND GENOMICS ANALYSIS OF PHYTONUTRIENTS IN FRUIT AND NON-FRUIT PLANT TISSUES

** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** OVER 72% OF FLOWERING PLANT SPECIES ARE CAPABLE OF MUTUALISTIC SYMBIOSES WITH ARBUSCULAR MYCORRHIZAL (AM) FUNGI. IN THIS NUTRITIONALLY-BASED MUTUALISM, THE FUNGI LIVE WITHIN AND AROUND THE ROOT AND TRANSFER PHOSPHATE AND NITROGEN FROM THE SOIL TO THE ROOT. IN RETURN, THE PLANT CELL PROVIDES THE FUNGI WITH CARBON, IN THE FORM OF LIPID AND SUGARS. THE SYMBIOSIS HAS A HUGE IMPACT ON PLANT MINERAL NUTRITION AND ON THE LEVEL OF CARBON DIRECTED UNDERGROUND, BOTH OF WHICH INFLUENCE MANY ASPECTS OF ECOSYSTEM FUNCTIONING. PHOSPHATE TRANSPORT PROTEINS MOVE PHOSPHATE ACROSS THE FUNGAL AND PLANT MEMBRANES. PREVIOUS WORK HAS IDENTIFIED PHOSPHATE TRANSPORT PROTEINS ACTIVE DURING SYMBIOSIS AND HAS REVEALED THAT PHOSPHATE TRANSPORT IS A KEY REGULATOR OF THE ASSOCIATION. THIS PROJECT SEEKS A MECHANISTIC UNDERSTANDING OF THE REGULATORY PROCESS AND AIMS TO IDENTIFY HOW THE PLANT ROOT CELLS SENSE PHOSPHATE AND REGULATE THEIR CELL BIOLOGY TO MAINTAIN THE SYMBIOSIS. THE FUNCTION OF A FUNGAL PHOSPHATE TRANSPORTER WILL ALSO BE ASSESSED. A MECHANISTIC UNDERSTANDING OF PI TRANSPORT AND ITS ROLE IN REGULATING THE SYMBIOSIS COULD PROVIDE KEY TARGETS FOR BREEDING CROPS THAT ARE OPTIMIZED FOR PI ACQUISITION THROUGH AM SYMBIOSIS. THIS COULDIMPROVE PHOSPHATE CAPTURE BY CROPS AND ULTIMATELY REDUCE HIGH FERTILIZER INPUTS IN AGRICULTURE AND ASSOCIATED ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE ARISING FROM EXCESS FERTILIZER RUN-OFF. THE PROJECT WILL PROVIDE TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES FOR SCIENTISTS AT ALL LEVELS OF THEIR CAREERS, FROM HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS TO POSTDOCS. LECTURES ANDENGAGEMENT ACTIVITIES WITH THE PUBLIC WILL INCREASE AWARENESS OF AM SYMBIOSIS.

THE INTERACTION BETWEEN RANGAP2 AND NB-LRR PROTEINS IN PLANT DEFENSE

UROL: EPIGENETICS 1: GENOMIC AND EPIGENETIC DETERMINANTS OF NUCLEAR MORPHOLOGY AND MECHANICS

INCREASING POTATO YIELD THROUGH GENETIC AND BIOCHEMICAL ANALYSIS OF COMPENSATORY GROWTH RESPONSES DURING TUBER MOTH INFESTATION

FUNCTIONAL GENOMICS APPROACHES TO DISSECT THE MECHANISMS USED BY ARBUSCULAR MYCORRHIZAL FUNGI TO DEVELOP SYMBIOTIC ASSOCIATIONS WITH PLANTS

NSF/MCB-BSF: RNA QUALITY CONTROL IN THE CHLOROPLAST

LEPIDOPTERAN INSECTS ARE AMONG THE MOST IMPORTANT AGRICULTURAL PESTS, AND STRATEGIES FOR CONTROL IN SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURAL SYSTEMS WILL REQUIRE INTEGRATED BIOLOGICAL APPROACHES. CRITICAL TO SUCH APPROACHES IS AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE INITIAL INTERACTIONS BETWEEN PATHOGENIC MICROBES AND INSECT GUT CELLS. BACULOVIRUSES ARE VIRULENT PATHOGENS OF SOME LEPIDOPTERAN INSECTS BUT THEIR INFECTIONS ARE LIMITED IN THE MIDGUT OF CERTAIN HOST SPECIES, WHICH LIMITS THEIR EFFECTIVENESS AS BIOCONTROL AGENTS. WE AIM TO PERFORM COMPARATIVE TRANSCRIPTOMIC STUDIES OF THESE CRITICAL VIRUS-MIDGUT INTERACTIONS, IN BOTH HIGHLY-PERMISSIVE AND SEMI-PERMISSIVE HOST SPECIES. WE WILL COMPARE INFECTION BY THE BACULOVIRUS ACMNPV IN THE MIDGUT OF A SEMI-PERMISSIVE HOST (HELICOVERPA ZEA) WITH OUR PRIOR STUDIES IN THE PERMISSIVE HOST (TRICHOPLUSIA NI). FOR THESE STUDIES, WE AIM TO: 1) CHARACTERIZE ACMNPV GENE EXPRESSION AND H. ZEA RESPONSES TO INFECTION IN THE MIDGUT; 2) PERFORM A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS TO IDENTIFY VIRAL GENES AND HOST GENES THAT ARE DIFFERENTIALLY EXPRESSED IN THE FULLY- AND SEMI-PERMISSIVE HOST MIDGUTS; AND 3) EXPERIMENTALLY MODIFY VIRAL AND HOST GENE EXPRESSION TO A) ENHANCE VIRAL REPLICATION IN THE MIDGUT AND SYSTEMIC INFECTION, AND B) NEUTRALIZE HOST GENES THAT MAY RESTRICT ACMNPV INFECTION IN THE SEMI-PERMISSIVE HOST. BY IDENTIFYING VIRAL FACTORS AND HOST RESPONSES INFLUENCING MIDGUT INFECTION, IT WILL BE POSSIBLE TO USE MODIFIED PATHOGENS AND TRANSGENIC PLANTS TO MANIPULATE THIS INTERACTION AND LIMIT THE SEVERITY OF INSECT PESTS USING SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES.

VIRUS TRAFFICKING IN INSECT MIDGUT CELLS

MAIZE IS A MAJOR CROP IN THE U.S., AND WORLDWIDE, AND SERVES AS A CRITICAL SOURCE OF FOOD AND MANY OTHER PRODUCTS. AS AN INTENSIVELY GROWN CROP, HOWEVER, IT HAS SUBSTANTIAL IMPACT ON LAND, WATER AND ENERGY RESOURCES. OUR WORK TARGETS THE PRODUCTIVITY OF MAIZE PLANTS, REASONING THAT INCREASING PRODUCTIVITY WILL RESULT IN GREATER EFFICIENCY OF USE FOR THESE RESOURCES.OUR MAIN TARGET FOR IMPROVING PRODUCTIVITY IS PHOTOSYNTHESIS, I.E. THE CAPTURE OF LIGHT ENERGY BY LEAVES AND ITS CONVERSION TO CHEMICAL ENERGY AND ULTIMATELY PLANT GROWTH. WE INTEND TO INCREASE THE RATE AT WHICH MAIZE PLANTS ABSORB CARBON DIOXIDE BY CREATING NOVEL GENETIC BACKGROUNDS AND TESTING THEM FOR PHOTOSYNTHESIS RATES, METABOLISM OF SUGARS, AND GROWTH AND YIELD. THIS WILL BE DONE MAINLY IN THE LABORATORY, BUT ALSO IN SPECIALIZED FIELD SITES. IF WE ARE SUCCESSFUL, COMMERCIAL SEED PRODUCERS WILL BE ABLE TO ACCESS OUR TECHNOLOGY AND PLACE IT IN SEED VARIETIES COMMONLY USED BY U.S. AND FOREIGN FARMERS.

CHARACTERIZATION & UTILIZATION OF NEMATODE ASCAROSIDE(NA)-INDUCED PLANT IMMUNITY

ANALYSIS OF SYMBIOTIC MINERAL NUTRIENT TRANSPORT AND MECHANISMS UNDERLYING REGULATION OF THE ARBUSCULAR MYCORRHIZAL (AM) SYMBIOSIS

ROLE OF THE BTI9 LYSM-RECEPTOR-LIKE KINASE IN PAMP-TRIGGERED IMMUNITY

REU SITE: PLANT GENOME RESEARCH -THIS REU SITE AWARD TO THE BOYCE THOMPSON INSTITUTE, LOCATED ON THE CAMPUS OF CORNELL UNIVERSITY IN ITHACA, NY, WILL SUPPORT THE TRAINING OF 10 STUDENTS FOR 10 WEEKS DURING THE SUMMERS OF 2024-2026. IT IS ANTICIPATED THAT A TOTAL OF 30 STUDENTS, PRIMARILY FROM SCHOOLS WITH LIMITED RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES AND/OR FROM UNDERREPRESENTED GROUPS, WILL BE TRAINED. REU PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS WILL DEVELOP INTERDISCIPLINARY SKILLS THAT ARE NECESSARY FOR TAKING FULL ADVANTAGE OF THE EVER-INCREASING SIZE AND COMPLEXITY OF BIOLOGICAL DATA SETS. THIS ESSENTIAL RESEARCH EXPERTISE WILL SERVE AS A STRONG FOUNDATION FOR THEIR FUTURE CAREERS IN ACADEMIA, INDUSTRY, OR GOVERNMENT SERVICE. PARTICIPANTS WILL COMMUNICATE THEIR RESULTS NOT ONLY TO OTHER SCIENTISTS BUT ALSO TO A BROADER AUDIENCE THROUGH COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND ONLINE VIDEOS. ASSESSMENT OF THE PROGRAM WILL BE DONE THROUGH AN ONLINE TOOL. REU PARTICIPANTS WILL WORK WITH WELL-TRAINED MENTORS TO DESIGN AND IMPLEMENT EXPERIMENTS THAT TAKE FULL ADVANTAGE OF AVAILABLE PLANT GENOME RESOURCES, AS WELL AS CUTTING-EDGE MOLECULAR AND BIOCHEMICAL RESEARCH METHODS. STUDENT RESEARCH PROJECTS WILL INVOLVE IMPORTANT AGRICULTURAL CROPS, ECOLOGICALLY RELEVANT PLANT SPECIES, AND/OR LABORATORY MODEL ORGANISMS. PROPOSED RESEARCH SUBJECTS INCLUDE FRUIT RIPENING, PATHOGEN DEFENSE, HERBIVORY, METABOLISM, SYMBIOTIC FUNGAL INTERACTIONS, NON-CODING RNA, PHOTOSYNTHESIS, DROUGHT TOLERANCE, MICRONUTRIENT UTILIZATION, GRAFT COMPATIBILITY, AND PLANT DEVELOPMENT. INDIVIDUAL STUDENT PROJECTS WILL BE DESIGNED TO PROVIDE SOME INDEPENDENCE BUT STILL FIT WITHIN THE OVERALL RESEARCH FRAMEWORK OF THE HOST LABORATORIES. BY COMBINING HANDS-ON LABORATORY OR FIELD EXPERIMENTS WITH BIOINFORMATIC ANALYSIS OF LARGE DATA SETS, STUDENTS WILL LEARN TO INVESTIGATE NOVEL ASPECTS OF PLANT BIOLOGY. ADDITIONAL TRAINING WILL FOCUS ON THE EFFECTIVE PRESENTATION OF RESEARCH RESULTS, PREPARATION FOR GRADUATE SCHOOL, AND ETHICAL CONDUCT OF RESEARCH. A SOCIAL MENTORING PROGRAM WILL PROMOTE STUDENT INTERACTIONS, FACILITATE INTEGRATION INTO THE RESEARCH ENVIRONMENT, AND HELP STUDENTS BUILD A SUPPORT NETWORK EARLY IN THEIR CAREER PATHWAYS. APPLICATIONS CAN BE SUBMITTED VIA THE NSF ETAP SYSTEM. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.- SUBAWARDS ARE NOT PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

COMPUTATIONAL GENOMIC ASSESSMENT OF GENE EDITING FIDELITY - WHOLE GENOME ANALYSIS OF GENE EDITING ON CROP PLANTS TO DETERMINE WHETHER GENETIC MODIFICATION FROM THIS RECENTLY DEVELOPED TECHNOLOGY RESULTS IN UNANTICIPATED CONSEQUENCES TO THE GENOME OR GENOME OUTPUTS, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, GENE EXPRESSION, METABOLISM OR SPECIFIC RELEVANT TRAITS.

COMMON MILKWEED IS A PERENNIAL PLANT WITH A WIDE DISTRIBUTION IN THE CENTRAL AND EASTERN UNITED STATES. POTENTIAL USES OF MILKWEED INCLUDE THE HARVEST OF FIBER, HYPOALLERGENIC FLOSS, AND MEDICALLY RELEVANT METABOLITES. CARDENOLIDES, A CLASS OF COMPOUNDS THAT IS ABUNDANT IN MILKWEED, HAVE BEEN USED FOR CENTURIES TO TREAT HEART FAILURE, ARRHYTHMIAS, AND OTHER HUMAN DISEASES. CARDENOLIDE PRODUCTION FOR PHARMACEUTICAL APPLICATIONS AND CLINICAL RESEARCH HAS BEEN LIMITED BY THEIR UNKNOWN BIOSYNTHETIC PATHWAYS AND SOMETIMES LIMITED ABUNDANCE IN A COMPLEX MIXTURE OF PLANT METABOLITES. BASED ON PRELIMINARY RESULTS THAT INCLUDE A MILKWEED GENOME SEQUENCE, GENE EXPRESSION DATA, AND METABOLITE PROFILING DATA, FURTHER EXPERIMENTS WILL BE CONDUCTED TO IDENTIFY PATHWAYS FOR THE BIOSYNTHESIS OF CARDENOLIDES IN MILKWEED. TOGETHER, THESE EXPERIMENTS WILL PROVIDE NEW INSIGHT INTO AN IMPORTANT METABOLIC PATHWAY WHOSE ENZYMATIC STEPS HAVE NOT BEEN DETERMINED IN ANY PLANT SPECIES. PRIOR WORK HAS DEMONSTRATED THAT MILKWEED CAN BE GROWN IN CONVENTIONAL AGRICULTURAL ENVIRONMENTS, AND THEREFORE HAS POTENTIAL AN AGRICULTURAL CROP. BY ELUCIDATING BIOSYNTHETIC PATHWAYS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF PLANT-BASED CHEMICALS, IT WILL BE POSSIBLE TO USE SELECTIVE BREEDING TO IMPROVE THE ECONOMIC VALUE OF MILKWEED. RESOURCES DEVELOPED THROUGH THIS PROJECT WILL LEAD TO THE MORE TARGETED PRODUCTION OF PHARMACEUTICAL COMPOUNDS IN MILKWEED AND CAN BE USED TO IMPROVE THE AGRONOMIC PROPERTIES THIS SPECIES AS A NEW PERENNIAL FIELD CROP FOR AMERICAN FARMERS.

INCREASING RUBISCO ABUNDANCE IN MAIZE TO MODIFY PLANT PERFORMANCE

DYNAMIC PLANT RESPONSES TO APHID INFESTATION

MODIFYING INSECT MIDGUT RESPONSES TO PATHOGEN ATTACK

OSMOREGULATORY COLLAPSE TO CONTROL PHLOEM-FEEDING INSECT PESTS

DECIPHERING THE REGULATORY ROLES OF PHOSPHATE TRANSPORTERS AT THE SYMBIOTIC INTERFACE IN ARBUSCULAR MYCORRHIZAL SYMBIOSIS -OVER 72% OF FLOWERING PLANT SPECIES ARE CAPABLE OF MUTUALISTIC SYMBIOSES WITH ARBUSCULAR MYCORRHIZAL (AM) FUNGI. IN THIS NUTRITIONALLY-BASED MUTUALISM, THE FUNGI LIVE WITHIN AND AROUND THE ROOT AND TRANSFER PHOSPHATE AND NITROGEN FROM THE SOIL TO THE ROOT. IN RETURN, THE PLANT CELL PROVIDES THE FUNGI WITH CARBON, IN THE FORM OF LIPID AND SUGARS. THE SYMBIOSIS HAS A HUGE IMPACT ON PLANT MINERAL NUTRITION AND ON THE LEVEL OF CARBON DIRECTED UNDERGROUND, BOTH OF WHICH INFLUENCE MANY ASPECTS OF ECOSYSTEM FUNCTIONING. PHOSPHATE TRANSPORT PROTEINS MOVE PHOSPHATE ACROSS THE FUNGAL AND PLANT MEMBRANES. PREVIOUS WORK HAS IDENTIFIED PHOSPHATE TRANSPORT PROTEINS ACTIVE DURING SYMBIOSIS AND HAS REVEALED THAT PHOSPHATE TRANSPORT IS A KEY REGULATOR OF THE ASSOCIATION. THIS PROJECT SEEKS A MECHANISTIC UNDERSTANDING OF THE REGULATORY PROCESS AND AIMS TO IDENTIFY HOW THE PLANT ROOT CELLS SENSE PHOSPHATE AND REGULATE THEIR CELL BIOLOGY TO MAINTAIN THE SYMBIOSIS. THE FUNCTION OF A FUNGAL PHOSPHATE TRANSPORTER WILL ALSO BE ASSESSED. THIS PROJECT WILL PROVIDE A MECHANISTIC UNDERSTANDING OF PHOSPHATE TRANSPORT AND ITS ROLE IN REGULATING THE SYMBIOSIS, WHICH COULD PROVIDE KEY TARGETS FOR BREEDING CROPS THAT ARE OPTIMIZED FOR PHOSPHATE ACQUISITION THROUGH AM SYMBIOSIS. THE PROJECT WILL PROVIDE TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES FOR SCIENTISTS AT ALL LEVELS OF THEIR CAREERS, FROM HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS TO POSTDOCS. PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITIES WILL INCLUDE ?DISCOVER FRIENDLY FUNGI?, A FOLDSCOPE ACTIVITY DESIGNED TO INCREASE AWARENESS OF AM SYMBIOSIS. DURING AM SYMBIOSES, PHOSPHATE AND CARBON TRANSFER BETWEEN THE PLANT AND FUNGUS OCCURS OVER THE INTERFACE BETWEEN THE FUNGAL ARBUSCULES AND THE PLANT PERIARBUSCULAR MEMBRANE (PAM). PHOSPHATE TRANSPORTERS OF THE PHT1- SUB-FAMILY I, ARE CONSERVED IN AM SYMBIOSIS HOST PLANTS AND AS REVEALED BY MEDICAGO TRUNCATULA PT4 (AND ORTHOLOGS IN OTHER PLANT SPECIES), THEY ARE ESSENTIAL FOR MAINTENANCE OF THE SYMBIOSIS. IN PT4 LOSS-OF-FUNCTION MUTANTS, EACH ARBUSCULE DIES PREMATURELY AND THE SYMBIOSIS IS TERMINATED, THUS, PT4/ PHOSPHATE TRANSPORT IS A KEY REGULATOR OF THE SYMBIOSIS. THE WORK PROPOSED SEEKS A MECHANISTIC UNDERSTANDING OF THIS REGULATORY PROCESS. PT4 MISSENSE ALLELES UNCOUPLE PHOSPHATE TRANSPORT FROM PREMATURE ARBUSCULE DEATH AND SEVERAL CANDIDATE PT4-INTERACTING PROTEINS HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED. CANDIDATE INTERACTORS AND THEIR INTERACTIONS WITH PT4 WILD TYPE AND MUTANT PROTEINS WILL BE EVALUATED IN PLANTA. THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THESE INTERACTIONS FOR MAINTENANCE OF SYMBIOSIS WILL BE ASSESSED AND THE HYPOTHESIS THAT PT4 FUNCTION IS MECHANISTICALLY LINKED TO FUNGAL LIPID PROVISIONING WILL BE TESTED. TWO PAM-RESIDENT KINASES ARE REQUIRED FOR ARBUSCULE SURVIVAL; THESE KINASES WILL BE CHARACTERIZED AND THEIR ROLES IN PHOSPHORYLATION OF PT4 ASSESSED. THE WORK PROPOSED INCLUDES STUDIES OF AN AM FUNGAL PHOSPHATE TRANSPORTER THAT SHOWS ARBUSCULE-ENHANCED EXPRESSION. USING HOST-INDUCED GENE SILENCING, THE HYPOTHESIS THAT THIS PHOSPHATE TRANSPORTER MEDIATES PHOSPHATE EXPORT FROM THE ARBUSCULE WILL BE TESTED. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.- SUBAWARDS ARE NOT PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

ACTIVATION OF AN ENDORIBONUCLEASE BY NON-INTEIN PROTEIN SPLICING

DOMESTICATION AND INTENSIVE BREEDING HAS MADE TOMATO (SOLANUM LYCOPERSICUM) ONE OF THE WORLD MOST IMPORTANT AGRICULTURAL CROPS. TRAITS SUCH AS FRUIT SIZE, PLANT HABIT AND EASE OF GERMINATION, MAKE MODERN CULTIVARS PARTICULARLY AMENABLE TO COMMERCIAL CULTIVATION AND DISTINGUISH DOMESTICATED CULTIVATED TOMATO FROM ITS WILD RELATIVES. SINCE DOMESTICATION HAS RESULTED IN LIMITED GENETIC DIVERSITY WITHIN THE CULTIVATED GERMPLASM, UTILIZING WILD SPECIES IS A COMMON FEATURE OF MODERN BREEDING PROGRAMS. THE WILD RELATIVES OF TOMATO REPRESENT A RICH SOURCE OF PHENOTYPIC VARIATION, INCLUDING VALUABLE METABOLIC DIVERSITY, WITH GREAT POTENTIAL TO IMPROVE CULTIVATED VARIETIES. HOWEVER, THE MOLECULAR BASIS FOR PHENOTYPIC DIFFERENCES BETWEEN CULTIVATED AND WILD SPECIES OF TOMATO IS STILL LARGELY UNKNOWN AND FINDING THE GENES THAT INFLUENCE TRAITS SUCH AS FRUIT SHAPE, SIZE AND METABOLITE CONTENT, IS OFTEN LENGTHY AND TECHNICALLY CHALLENGING. INTERESTINGLY, MANY SUCH GENES CAUSE PHENOTYPIC DIFFERENCES AS A RESULT OF CHANGES IN GENE REGULATION RATHER THAN CHANGES IN PROTEIN FUNCTION. ONE METHOD TO IDENTIFY SUCH GENES IS TO COMPARE GENE EXPRESSION BETWEEN SPECIES. HOWEVER, SIMPLE COMPARISONS CANNOT DISTINGUISH GENES DIFFERENTIALLY REGULATED BY INDIRECT FACTORS SUCH AS DIFFERENCES IN GROWTH HABIT, PLANT ANATOMY OR CELLULAR ENVIRONMENT AS OPPOSED TO TRUE REGULATORY VARIANTS.THIS PROJECTS APPLIES A NEW APPROACH BASED ON THE ANALYSIS OF HYBRIDS OF WILD AND CULTIVATED TOMATO SPECIES TO IDENTIFY CANDIDATE GENES AFFECTING PHENOTYPIC VARIATION, PARTICULARLY TRAITS RELATED TO FRUIT QUALITY. BY SIMULTANEOUSLY ANALYZING THE EXPRESSION OF WILD AND CULTIVATED ALLELES IN A HYBRID PLANT, IT IS POSSIBLE TO ELIMINATE BACKGROUND EFFECTS ON GENE EXPRESSION AND UNCOVER GENES SHOWING CIS-REGULATION (E.G. CHANGES IN EXPRESSION DUE TO PROMOTER VARIATION) WHICH CONSTITUTE INTERESTING TARGETS FOR CROP IMPROVEMENT. WE WILL APPLY THIS APPROACH TO HYBRIDS OF A RANGE OF CULTIVATED TOMATO SPECIES AND TOMATO WILDSPECIES AT DIFFERENT DEVELOPMENTAL STAGES, AND ANALYZE DISTINCT FRUIT TISSUES, TO GENERATE A COMPREHENSIVE DATASET OF CIS-REGULATED GENES AND A LIST OF VERIFIED HIGH PRIORITY CANDIDATE GENES TO IMPROVE FRUIT QUALITY. TOMATO IS AN ECONOMICALLY IMPORTANT VEGETABLE CROP WORLDWIDE AND AN IMPORTANT SOURCE OF NUTRIENTS BENEFICIAL TO HUMAN HEALTH. DEVELOPING TOMATO VARIETIES THAT ACHIEVE OPTIMAL FRUIT YIELD WHILE MAINTAINING FRUIT QUALITY (FLAVOR, AROMA, HEALTH-RELATED METABOLITES) IS OF HIGH ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE BUT PRESENTS COMPLEX CHALLENGES. BY GENERATING A DATASET OF CANDIDATE GENES CONTROLLING PHENOTYPIC VARIATION, THIS RESEARCH WILL PROVIDE NEW TOOLS FOR DESIGNING STRATEGIES TO ENHANCE VALUED FRUIT TRAITS. IN ADDITION, THIS STUDY WILL OFFER INSIGHTS INTO THE REGULATORY EVENTS THAT ACCOMPANIED TOMATO DOMESTICATION.

GREEN PEACH APHIDS (MYZUS PERSICAE) ARE WIDELY PREVALENT AGRICULTURAL PESTS THAT REDUCE YIELD BY CONSUMING PLANT NUTRIENTS AND TRANSMITTING VIRUSES TO NUMEROUS FRUITS, VEGETABLES, AND FIELD CROPS. APHIDS FEED PRIMARILY FROM THE PHLOEM SIEVE ELEMENTS OF THEIR HOST PLANTS. IN THE COURSE OF PHLOEM FEEDING, APHIDS ALTERNATE BETWEEN SECRETING PROTEIN-CONTAINING SALIVA INTO SIEVE ELEMENTS AND INGESTING PHLOEM SAP. SEVERAL STUDIES HAVE DEMONSTRATED THAT SPECIFIC APHID SALIVARY PROTEINS, ALSO CALLED EFFECTORS, PLAY A CRITICAL ROLE IN SUCCESSFUL APHID FEEDING. CONVERSELY, SOME SALIVARY PROTEINS ELICIT VISIBLE RESPONSES IN PLANT LEAVES, SUGGESTING THAT PLANTS RECOGNIZE THESE INDIVIDUAL APHID PROTEINS AND INITIATE DEFENSES. HOWEVER, ONLY A FEW OF THE LIKELY DOZENS OF PROTEINS IN APHID SALIVA HAVE BEEN CHARACTERIZED, AND THE FUNCTIONS OF MOST APHID SALIVARY PROTEINS REMAIN COMPLETELY UNKNOWN. THE WIDE HOST RANGE OF GREEN PEACH APHIDS SUGGESTS THAT THIS SPECIES HAS A PARTICULARLY EFFECTIVE COMPLEMENT OF SALIVARY PROTEINS THAT FUNCTION BOTH IN SUPPRESSING PLANT DEFENSES AND IN PROMOTING NUTRIENT FLOW TO APHID FEEDING SITES.IN THE COURSE OF THIS PROJECT, THE FUNCTIONS OF SIX GREEN PEACH APHID SALIVARY PROTEINS WILL BE CHARACTERIZED. TWO OF THESE PROTEINS APPEAR TO ELICIT PLANT DEFENSE RESPONSES. FOUR OTHERS MOVE TO SPECIFIC LOCATIONS WITHIN THE PLANT CELLS FROM WHICH THE APHIDS ARE FEEDING, SUGGESTING THAT THEY HAVE A ROLE IN MANIPULATING PLANT METABOLISM FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE APHIDS. THE EFFECTS OF APHID SALIVARY PROTEINS WILL BE CHARACTERIZED WITH PLANT GENE EXPRESSION AND METABOLITE PROFILING ASSAYS. PROTEIN INTERACTION STUDIES WILL IDENTIFY PLANT PROTEINS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO THE RECOGNITION OF APHID FEEDING, AS WELL AS PLANT PROTEINS THAT ARE TARGETED BY THE APHIDS TO SUPPRESS PLANT DEFENSES AND PROMOTE NUTRIENT FLOW TO THE SITE OF APHID FEEDING. APHID GENE EXPRESSION SILENCING WILL DETERMINE THE EXTENT TO WHICH INDIVIDUAL SALIVARY PROTEINS ARE REQUIRED FOR SUCCESSFUL HOST PLANT UTILIZATION. CHARACTERIZATION OF ESSENTIAL APHID SALIVARY PROTEINS, AS WELL AS INTERACTIONS WITH ENDOGENOUS PLANT PROTEINS, WILL NOT ONLY PROVIDE A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF FACTORS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO THE INVASIVENESS OF GREEN PEACH APHIDS, BUT ALSO WILL ENABLE THE IMPLEMENTATION OF NEW RESISTANCE MECHANISMS IN CROP PLANTS THROUGH BREEDING OR BIOTECHNOLOGY APPROACHES.

GENE REGULATORY NETWORKS IN STEM CELLS FOR ROOT VASCULAR TISSUES

GENE-SPECIFIC AND GENERAL RNA REGULATORS IN CHLOROPLASTS

REU SITE: PLANT GENOME RESEARCH

BACULOVIRUS ENVELOPE PROTEINS AND INSECT CELLS

MECHANISMS UNDERLYING NOVEL VIRULENCE AND AVIRULENCE ACTIVITIES OF THE C-TERMINAL DOMAIN (CTD) OF PSEUDOMONAS SYRINGAE EFFECTOR AVRPTO

FUNCTIONAL ANALYSES OF TWO GENES ESSENTIAL FOR THE ARBUSCULAR MYCORRHIZA SYMBIOSIS IN MEDICAGO TRUNCATULA, RICE AND SOYBEAN.

FUNCTIONAL ANALYSIS OF APHID SALIVARY PROTEINS

MECHANISMS THAT LIMIT RUBISCO ACCUMULATION AND ACTIVITY

METABOLIC AND GENOMICS ANALYSIS OF PHYTONUTRIENTS IN FRUIT AND NON-FRUIT PLANT TISSUES

MANIPULATION OF PLANT DEFENSES BY AN INSECT-VECTORED VIRUS

EVALUATING OFF-TARGET EFFECT OF RNAI TRANSGENES THAT LIMIT THE GROWTH OF PHLOEM-FEEDING INSECTS

FUNCTIONAL ANALYSIS OF SMALL MOLECULE METABOLITES IN APHID SALIVA

REU SITE: PLANT GENOME RESEARCH

IDENTIFICATION AND FUNCTIONAL GENOMICS OF GENES IMPACTING PHYTONUTRIENT LEVELS AND METAL TOLERANCE IN FOOD CROP SPECIES

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: MODULATION OF PHEROMONE-DEPENDENT HOST BEHAVIOR BY GUT BACTERIA

METABOLIC AND GENOMICS ANALYSIS OF PHYTONUTRIENTS IN FRUIT AND NON-FRUIT PLANT TISSUES

IDENTIFICATION AND FUNCTIONAL GENOMICS OF GENES IMPACTING PHYTONUTRIENT LEVELS AND METAL TOLERANCE IN FOOD CROP SPECIES

GENOMIC AND METABOLIC ANALYSIS OF VEGETABLE AND CEREAL CROPS FOR IMPROVED PERFORMANCE AND QUALITY

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: MECHANISMS OF DIFFERENTIATION AND MORPHOGENESIS OF THE LIGULE/AURICLE HINGE

WHILE CROP DOMESTICATION HAS RESULTED IN MORE PRODUCTIVE PLANTS CARRYING DESIRABLE CHARACTERISTICS, IT ALSO REDUCED GENETIC DIVERSITY. OUR CURRENT AGRICULTURAL SYSTEMS RELY ON MAINTAINING PERFORMANCE WITHIN A HANDFUL OF SPECIES, NEGLECTING THE CLIMATE RESILIENCE POTENTIAL OF ORPHAN CROPS AND LANDRACES. TEPARY BEAN (PHASEOLUS ACUTIFOLIUS) IS AN ORPHAN CROP NATIVE TO ARID AND SEMI-ARID REGIONS OF SOUTHWESTERN U.S., NORTHWESTERN MEXICO, AND CENTRAL AMERICA. ALTHOUGH TEPARY BEAN IS RECOGNIZED FOR ITS ENVIRONMENTAL STRESS RESILIENCE, THE STRESS RESILIENCE MECHANISMS REMAIN UNDER-EXPLOITED. THE MAIN GOAL OF THE PROJECT IS TO DEVELOP A WELL-GENOTYPED NATURAL DIVERSITY PANEL CONSISTING OF 400 VIRUS-FREE PURE LINES. ADDITIONALLY, THE POPULATION WILL BE EVALUATED UNDER CONTROLLED AND FIELD CONDITIONS FOR THEIR MORPHOLOGICAL, PHYSIOLOGICAL, AND AGRONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS UNDER WELL-WATERED AND DROUGHT STRESS CONDITIONS. THE PROJECT OUTPUTS WILL BE AN INVALUABLE RESOURCE FOR BREEDING PROGRAMS FOCUSING ON INCREASING ENVIRONMENTAL RESILIENCE AS WELL AS IMPROVING THE PRODUCTIVITY OF TEPARY BEANS. IT WILL ALSO SERVE AS A RESOURCE FOR IMPROVING COMMON BEANS FOR BIOTIC AND ABIOTIC STRESS TOLERANCE. BY DEVELOPING THIS RESOURCE, WE AIM TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE FURTHER DIVERSIFICATION OF THE AGRICULTURAL SYSTEM AND MAKE IT MORE RESILIENT TO ENVIRONMENTAL RISKS AGGRAVATED BY CLIMATE CHANGE AND LOW FRESHWATER AVAILABILITY.

ICOB: COMPARATIVE GENOMICS FOR A REGULATORY MODEL OF EVOLUTIONARILY CONSERVED RIPENING CONTROL MECHANISMS IN DIVERSE SPECIES

ASCAROSIDE SIGNALING AND AGING IN CAENORHABDITIS ELEGANS

CHARACTERIZATION OF THE HIGH AFFINITY SALICYLIC ACID-BINDING PROTEIN 2 IN PLANT DISEASE RESISTANCE

PLANTS IN AGRICULTURAL SYSTEMS ARE CONTINUOUSLY INTERACTING WITH OTHER ORGANISMS. PESTS AND PATHOGENS ARE A CONSTANT THREAT THAT CANNOT BE FULLY ADDRESSED WITH CURRENT TECHNOLOGIES. CONVERSELY, SYMBIONTS AND POLLINATORS, WHICH ARE ESSENTIAL FOR MAINTAINING HIGH YIELDS, ARE POORLY UNDERSTOOD AND DECLINING. TO CONTINUE IMPROVING CROP PLANT PRODUCTIVITY IN THE UNITED STATES, IT IS IMPERATIVE TO TRAIN FUTURE SCIENTISTS TO INVESTIGATE BOTH BENEFICIAL AND DELETERIOUS PLANT BIOTIC INTERACTIONS.A THREE-YEAR UNDERGRADUATE INTERNSHIP PROGRAM WILL BE IMPLEMENTED AT THE BOYCE THOMPSON INSTITUTE, CORNELL UNIVERSITY, AND THE USDA-ARS HOLLEY CENTER. EACH SUMMER, NINE UNDERGRADUATES FROM THROUGHOUT THE UNITED STATES WILL CONDUCT RESEARCH ON PLANT BIOTIC INTERACTIONS FOR TEN WEEKS IN THE LABORATORIES OF TWELVE FACULTY MENTORS. EARLY-CAREER UNDERGRADUATES WILL BE CHOSEN BASED ON CULTURAL AND ETHNIC DIVERSITY, AS WELL AS ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE. IN ADDITION TO HANDS-ON BIOLOGICAL RESEARCH, STUDENTS WILL RECEIVE TRAINING IN PROJECT PLANNING, SCIENTIFIC ETHICS, RESEARCH PRESENTATIONS, AND WRITING GRADUATE SCHOOL APPLICATIONS.STUDENT RESEARCH WILL FOCUS ON THE INTERACTIONS OF CROP PLANTS WITH OTHER ORGANISMS, BOTH BENEFICIAL AND DELETERIOUS, WITH A PARTICULAR EMPHASIS ON CROP IMPROVEMENT AND INVESTIGATION OF MECHANISMS THAT MEDIATE THESE INTERACTIONS. INTERNS WILL SELECT SUMMER RESEARCH GROUPS BASED ON THEIR SCIENTIFIC INTERESTS, AND WILL CONDUCT FUNDAMENTAL AND APPLIED RESEARCH PROJECTS THAT RANGE FROM LABORATORY ANALYSIS OF PREVIOUSLY UNKNOWN PLANT GENES AND METABOLITES TO PLANT BREEDING AND STUDIES OF PLANT-INSECT AND PLANT-PATHOGEN INTERACTIONS ON COMMERCIAL FARMS.

DEVELOPMENT OF A COMPREHENSIVE SOLANACEAE PHENOTYPE AND LOCUS DATABASE (SOL PAL)

INDENTIFICATION OF GENES THAT PHOSPHATE ACQUISITION AND PLANT PERFORMANCE DURING ARBUSCULAR MYCORRHIZAL SYMBIOSIS IN MEDICEGO TRUNCATULA AND BRACHYPO

IDENTIFICATION OF GENES THAT REGULATE PHOSPHATE ACQUISITION AND PLANT PERFORMANCE DURING ARBUSCULAR MYCORRHIZAL SYMBIOSIS IN MEDICAGO TRUNCATULA ....

ARABIDOPSIS 2010: 1O2-MEDIATED AND TETRAPYRROLE-DEPENDENT PLASTID-TO-NUCLEUS SIGNALING PATHWAYS IN HIGHER PLANTS

REGULATION OF ARABIDOPSIS HFR1 FUNCTION BY REVERSIBLE PHOSPHORYLATION

ROLE OF FHY3 AND FAR1 IN TRANSCRIPTIONAL REGULATION OF PHYTOCHROME A SIGNALING IN ARABIDOPSIS

MINE-PGR: MINING PUBLIC RNA-SEQ DATA TO IDENTIFY AND ANNOTATE LONG NON-CODING RNAS IN FIFTEEN DIVERSE ANGIOSPERMS

THE PRODUCTIVITY OF MAIZE, ONE OF THE WORLD'S MOST ECONOMICALLY IMPORTANT FOOD CROPS, IS LIMITED BY A VARIETY OF DEVASTATING FUNGAL DISEASES, LEADING TO BILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN ANNUAL ECONOMIC LOSS. PHENOLIC SUCROSE ESTERS (PSE), A RECENTLY DISCOVERED CLASS OF MAIZE SECONDARY METABOLITES, WERE SHOWN TO PROVIDE PROTECTION AGAINST FUSARIUM GRAMINEARUM AND OTHER FUNGAL PATHOGENS. HOWEVER, THE GENES UNDERLYING THE PRODUCTION OF THESE PSE ARE CURRENTLY UNKNOWN, MAKING IN-DEPTH RESEARCH OF PSE FUNCTION DIFFICULT AND THEIR UTILIZATION IN BREEDING PROGRAMS AND NEW TRANSGENIC DEVELOPMENT UNFEASIBLE.THIS PROJECT AIMS TO IDENTIFY THE BIOSYNTHETIC AND REGULATORY GENES UNDERLYING PSE METABOLISM, USING METHODS THAT CORRELATE PSE ABUNDANCE WITH GENE EXPRESSION. TO PERFORM THIS ANALYSIS SUCCESSFULLY, A POPULATION OF PLANTS PRODUCING DIFFERENT AMOUNTS OF PSE IS NEEDED. FOR THIS REASON, I WILL GENERATE TWO MAIN DATA SETS - THE FIRST FROM A TIME COURSE FOLLOWING FUNGAL INFECTION, WHICH WILL LEAD TO RISING PSE ABUNDANCE. THE SECOND WILL UTILIZE THE NATURAL VARIATION IN THE MAIZE GERMPLASM AND COMPILED IN THE GOODMAN DIVERSITY PANEL. ONCE THE GENES ARE IDENTIFIED, I WILL SEARCH FOR PREVIOUSLY EXISTING MUTANTS IN THOSE GENES AND USE VIRUS INDUCTION TO REDUCE OR INCREASE THEIR EXPRESSION. THIS WILL ENABLE ME TO VALIDATE THE GENES' FUNCTION IN PSE METABOLISM AND, FOLLOWING THIS, TO EXAMINE ITS EFFECTS ON FUNGAL PATHOGENS. THE RESULTS OF THIS RESEARCH WILL ENABLE THE PRODUCTION OF IMPROVED MAIZE VARIETIES, WHICH WILL REQUIRE FEWER AGRONOMIC INPUTS, THROUGH BREEDING AND/OR TRANSGENIC APPROACHES.

METABOLIC AND GENOMICS ANALYSIS OF PHYTONUTRIENTS IN FRUIT AND NON-FRUIT PLANT TISSUES

GENOMIC AND METABOLIC ANALYSIS OF TOMATO AS A MODEL FOR IMPROVED PERFORMANCE AND QUALITY OF FRUIT CROPS - THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROJECT IS TO IDENTIFY AND FUNCTIONALLY TEST GENES THAT ARE IMPORTANT IN THE REGULATION OF PLANT COMPOUNDS WITH KNOWN OR POTENTIAL HUMAN HEALTH BENEFITS. IN DOING SO, WE WILL IDENTIFY CANDIDATES FOR MANIPULATION THROUGH TRADITIONAL BREEDING OR TRANSGENIC STRATEGIES FOR ENHANCEMENT OF PHYTONUTRIENTS IN PLANT-BASED FOODS AND WE WILL ADDITIONALLY DEVELOP BASIC KNOWLEDGE REGARDING THE GENETIC MECHANISMS UNDERLYING THE SYNTHESIS AND ACCUMULATION OF TARGET COMPOUNDS. SPECIFIC COMPOUNDS OF INTEREST UNDER THIS PROJECT WILL BE CAROTENOIDS, FLAVONOIDS, ASCORBATE, AND FOLIC ACID.

METABOLIC AND GENOMICS ANALYSIS OF PHYTONUTRIENTS IN FRUIT AND NON-FRUIT PLANT TISSUES

FUNCTIONAL CHARACTERIZATION OF THE ENZYME DIPEPTIDE INTERACTION NETWORK AND ITS ROLE IN THE REGULATION OF ARABIDOPSIS CARBON METABOLISM -METABOLISM DRIVES THE LIFE-SUSTAINING CHEMICAL REACTIONS THAT PROVIDE ENERGY AND BUILDING BLOCKS FOR PLANT GROWTH AND FUNCTION. THE GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO INVESTIGATE HOW A CLASS OF SMALL-MOLECULE COMPOUNDS CALLED DIPEPTIDES CONTROL THE ACTIVITY OF THE CENTRAL CARBON METABOLISM OF PLANTS. THIS RESEARCH MAY LEAD TO INNOVATION IN THE FORM OF DIPEPTIDE-BASED STRATEGIES FOR IMPROVING PLANT FITNESS AND PERHAPS GENERATE KNOWLEDGE THAT CAN BE USED IN HUMAN AND ANIMAL HEALTH. THIS PROJECT WILL PROVIDE RESEARCH TRAINING FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS, UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS AND POST-DOCTORAL ASSOCIATES. DUE TO ITS RAPID AND REVERSIBLE NATURE, SMALL-MOLECULE REGULATION OF KEY ENZYMATIC ACTIVITIES IS VITAL TO CONTROLLING METABOLIC FLUXES. SYSTEMATIC IDENTIFICATION OF REGULATORY METABOLITE-ENZYME INTERACTIONS REMAINS ONE OF THE GRAND CHALLENGES IN METABOLISM RESEARCH. THIS RESEARCH AIMS TO SYSTEMATICALLY CHARACTERIZE THE NEWLY DISCOVERED ENZYME-DIPEPTIDE INTERACTION NETWORK AND ITS ROLE IN REGULATING CENTRAL CARBON METABOLISM IN THE MODEL PLANT ARABIDOPSIS THALIANA. TO ELUCIDATE THE METABOLIC CONSEQUENCES OF THE STUDIED ENZYME-DIPEPTIDE INTERACTIONS, THE RESEARCH WILL EXPLOIT A COMBINATION OF IN VITRO BIMOLECULAR BINDING ASSAYS, CHARACTERIZATION OF ENZYMATIC ACTIVITIES, COMPREHENSIVE METABOLOMIC ANALYSIS OF STEADY-STATE METABOLITE LEVELS, AND 13C METABOLIC FLUX ANALYSIS AFTER DIPEPTIDE TREATMENTS. THE RESULTS OF THESE ASSAYS WILL BE OVERLAID WITH DIPEPTIDE ACCUMULATION PATTERNS TO DEMONSTRATE THE PHYSIOLOGICAL RELEVANCE OF THE IDENTIFIED INTERACTIONS. THE BASIC KNOWLEDGE ACCRUED THROUGH THIS PROJECT WILL SHED LIGHT ON ONE OF THE CENTRAL QUESTIONS IN BIOLOGY: HOW ORGANISMS REGULATE THEIR METABOLISM AS THEY ADAPT TO THE ENVIRONMENT. THE RESEARCH WILL CHARACTERIZE A HIDDEN WORLD OF LARGELY UNINVESTIGATED ENZYME-DIPEPTIDE INTERACTIONS, AS WELL AS THEIR ROLE IN THE CRITICAL YET POORLY UNDERSTOOD REGULATORY NEXUS OF PROTEIN DEGRADATION AND METABOLISM. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.

FEEDING A RAPIDLY GROWING HUMAN POPULATIONIS BECOMING INCREASINGLY DIFFICULT. ONE COMMON BARRIERTO CROP PRODUCTION IS NUTRIENT DEFICIENCY IN SOILS, WHICH IS WORSENED BYMONOCULTURE PRACTICES.TO OVERCOME NUTRIENT LIMITATIONS IN SOILS, CURRENT AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES PRIMARILY RELY ON HEAVY APPLICATION OF EXPENSIVE PHOSPHATE FERTILIZERS DERIVED FROM PHOSPHATE ROCK, A FINITE AND DWINDLING RESOURCE. ADDITIONALLY, USING THESEFERTILIZERS IS INEFFICIENT, AS A SIGNIFICANT PROPORTION OF THE NUTRIENTSNEVER REACHESTHE PLANTS THEY'RE MEANT TO FEED.INSTEAD, THE EXTRA MATERIALACCUMULATESIN SOILS AND RUNS OFF INTO WATERWAYS, WHERE THEY CAUSETOXIC ALGAL BLOOMS. ARBUSCULAR MYCORRHIZAL (AM) SYMBIOSIS IS A PLANT-FUNGAL SYMBIOSIS BETWEEN CERTAIN FUNGI AND 72% OF FLOWERING PLANTS, INCLUDING MOST CROP SPECIES. IN THIS RELATIONSHIP, THE FUNGI PROVIDE THEIR PLANT HOST WITH MINERAL NUTRIENTS IN EXCHANGE FOR SUGARS AND LIPIDS FROM THE PLANT. THEREFORE,UNDERSTANDING THIS SYMBIOSIS AND HOW TO ENHANCE IT IS A PROMISING AVENUE FOR IMPROVING CROP PRODUCTIVITY AND REDUCING OUR DEPENDENCE ON THESE FERTILIZERS.DURING SYMBIOSIS, AM FUNGI IN THE SOIL GROW INTO THE ROOTS OF THEIR HOST, EVENTUALLY ENTERING INDIVIDUAL CELLS, WHERE THEY FORM SPECIALIZED STRUCTURES WITH THE PLANT FOR NUTRIENT EXCHANGE CALLED ARBUSCULES.HOWEVER, IT REMAINS LARGELY UNCLEAR HOW EXACTLY THE AM HOST PLANTS UNDERGO THESE EXTREME CHANGES TO HOUSE THEFUNGUS WITHIN THEIR CELLS. THEREFORE, THE OVERARCHING GOAL OF THIS PROJECTIS TO UNDERSTAND THE MOLECULAR BASIS OF FUNGAL ACCOMMODATION BYHOST PLANTS. ITHAS BEEN SHOWN THAT THEKINASE CS (KINCS),A PAIR OF KINASES THAT SIT AT THE NUTRIENT-EXCHANGE INTERFACE, ARE ESSENTIAL FOR SUCCESSFUL AM SYMBIOSIS, AS PLANTS WITHOUT THEM ABORTARBUSUCLE FORMATION. THIS PROJECT INVESTIGATES THE MECHANISM BY WHICH THE KINCS ENABLE SYMBIOSIS BYASKING: (1) HOW SIMILAR IS KINCS' ROLE TO ALREADY UNDERSTOOD REGULATORS OF SYMBIOSIS, (2) WHAT OTHER PROTEINS DO THE KINCS INTERACT WITH, AND (3) WHAT DOWNSTREAM PATHWAYS ARE IMPACTED BY KINC FUNCTION?TO EFFECTIVELY HARNESS AM SYMBIOSIS, WE MUST FIRST KNOW HOW IT WORKS. STUDYINGTHE ROLE OF THEKINCS, A LINCHPIN OF THIS ECOLOGICALLY AND AGRICULTURALLY IMPORTANT PLANT-FUNGAL RELATIONSHIP,WILL HELP THE SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITYBETTER UNDERSTAND THIS SYMBIOSIS. BY DOING SO,THIS STUDY WILL BUILD FOUNDATIONAL KNOWLEDGE TO SUPPORT EFFORTS TO ENGINEER OR BREED OPTIMIZED AM HOSTS FOR IMPROVED NUTRIENT ACQUISITION, LAYING SOME OF THE GROUNDWORK TO EVENTUALLY HELP GROWERS REDUCE THEIR USEOF EXPENSIVE AND ENVIRONMENTALLY HAZARDOUS PHOSPHATE FERTILIZERS.

METABOLIC AND GENOMICS ANALYSIS OF PHYTONUTRIENTS IN FRUIT AND NON-FRUIT PLANT TISSUES

TRANSCRIPTOME ANALYSIS IN WHITEFLIES TO IDENTIFY TARGET GENES THAT ARE USEFUL FOR INTERFERING RNA (RNAI) TECHNOLOGY

METABOLIC AND GENOMICS ANALYSIS OF PHYTONUTRIENTS IN FRUIT AND NON-FRUIT PLANT TISSUES

INFLUENCE OF POTATO LEAFROLL VIRUS ON MYZUS PERSICAE-POTATO INTERACTIONS

BIOINFORMATIC ANALYSIS OF TRANSGENE EFFECTS ON CROP PLANTS

FUNCTIONAL CHARACTERIZATION OF TOMATO RIPENING REGULATORS

PHYSIOLOGICAL GENOMICS OF CROP ADAPTATION TO MARGINAL SOIL ENVIRONMENTS

VIRUS-PROTEIN INTERACTIONS MEDIATING PROTEIN TRAFFICKING

MOLECULAR MECHANISMS OF RESISTANCE TO BACILLUS THURINGIENSIS CRY3BB1 TOXIN IN DIABROTICA VIRGIFERA VIRGIFERA (WESTERN CORN ROOTWORM)

THE USE OF RNA-SEQ APPROACHES TO IDENTIFY GENES INVOLVED IN RESPONSE AND TOLERANCE TO ABIOTIC STRESSES IN RICE -CFDA 10.310

EPIGENETIC VARIATION IN THE ARABIDOPSIS GENOME

METHODS FOR EXTRACTING ELECTRICAL ENERGY FROM LIVING PLANTS

IDENTIFYING NEW CHLOROPLAST-ENCODED PHOTOSYNTHETIC FUNCTIONS

TRANSCRIPTOME ANALYSIS OF APPLE FRUIT DEVELOPMENT AND DISORDERS

UNDERSTANDING THE CONTRIBUTION OF DNA DEMETHYLATION TO RIPENING INITIATION IN TOMATO

FUNCTIONAL CHARACTERIZATION OF TOMATO NUTRIENT GENES

PHYSIOLOGICAL GENOMICS OF CROP ADAPTATION TO MARGINAL SOIL ENVIRONMENTS

METABOLIC AND GENOMICS ANALYSIS OF PHYTONUTRIENTS IN FRUIT AND NON-FRUIT PLANT TISSUES

DEVELOPMENT OF RNA-BASED STRATEGIES TO BLOCK TRANSMISSION OF THE CITRUS GREENING BACTERIUM BY THE ASIAN CITRUS PSYLLID.

FUNCTIONAL ELUCIDATION OF VAPYRIN, A NOVEL PLANT PROTEIN REQUIRED FOR ARBUSCULAR MYCORRHIZAL SYMBIOSIS

TRANSCRIPTOME ANALYSIS IN WHITEFLIES TO IDENTIFY TARGET GENES THAT ARE USEFUL FOR INTERFERING RNA (RNAI) TECHNOLOGY

SUFFICIENT PHOSPHATE SUPPLY IS CRUCIAL FOR CROP PRODUCTION, BUT EXTENSIVE USE OF PHOSPHATE FERTILIZERS HAS LED TO A DEPLETION OF THIS NON-RENEWABLE RESOURCE AND CONSIDERABLE ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION. ONE OF THE STRATEGIES FOR SUSTAINABLE CROP PRODUCTION IS TO UTILIZE ARBUSCULAR MYCORRHIZAL (AM) SYMBIOSIS IN AGRICULTURE, AN ANCIENT ASSOCIATION THAT OCCURS TO ~72% OF THE FLOWERING PLANTS. ROOTS OF THE PLANT HOST OFTEN TAKE UP SUBSTANTIAL PHOSPHATE FROM THE AM FUNGAL SYMBIONT THROUGH AM-SPECIFIC H+/PHOSPHATE TRANSPORTERS. ALTHOUGH THE MECHANISM OF THE MYCORRHIZAL PHOSPHATE ACQUISITION HAS BEEN INVESTIGATED, PROFILING OF THE INTRACELLULAR PHOSPHATE LEVELS DURING DIFFERENT AM SYMBIOSES HAS NOT BEEN DONE. USING A PLANT-SPECIFIC, GENETICALLY ENCODED PHOSPHATE BIOSENSOR AND A HIGHLY EFFECTIVE EXPERIMENTAL SYSTEM TO TRACE PHOSPHATE TRANSLOCATION FROM THE FUNGI TO THE ROOTS, I WILL VISUALIZE THE INTRACELLULAR PHOSPHATE PROFILES DURING DIFFERENT AM SYMBIOSES SPATIALLY AND TEMPORALLY AND CHARACTERIZE THE ROLES OF THE AM SYMBIOSIS-INDUCED PHOSPHATE TRANSPORTERS DURING THE SYMBIOTIC PHOSPHATE UPTAKE. THE OUTCOME OF THIS RESEARCH WILL PROVIDE NOVEL AND FUNDAMENTAL KNOWLEDGE OF PHOSPHATE DYNAMICS DURING DIFFERENT AM SYMBIOSES.

METABOLIC AND GENOMICS ANALYSIS OF PHYTONUTRIENTS IN FRUIT AND NON-FRUIT PLANT TISSUES

WHITEFLY AND BOTTLE GOURD GENOME SEQUENCING AND TRANSCRIPTOME ANALYSIS TO IDENTIFY TARGET GENES THAT ARE USEFUL FOR INTERFERING RNA TECHNOLOGY

METABOLIC AND GENOMICS ANALYSIS OF PHYTONUTRIENTS IN FRUIT AND NON-FRUIT PLANT TISSUES

NOT ALL PSYLLIDS ARE CREATED EQUAL: WHY DO SOME TRANSMIT LIBERIBACTER AND OTHERS DO NOT? - OBJECTIVE. OUR GOAL IS TO EXPLOIT THE DISCOVERIES OF PROTEINS OF THE ASIAN CITRUS PSYLLID (ACP) AND ITS BACTERIAL ENDOSYMBIONTS WHICH ARE INVOLVED IN TRANSMISSION OF 'CANDIDATUS LIBERIBACTER ASIATICUS', THE BACTERIAL PATHOGEN ASSOCIATED WITH HUANGLONGBING (HLB; CITRUS GREENING).

MOLECULAR MECHANISMS OF LUTEOVIRID PHLOEM TROPISM

WHITEFLY AND BOTTLE GOURD GENOME SEQUENCING AND TRANSCRIPTOME ANALYSIS TO IDENTIFY TARGET GENES THAT ARE USEFUL FOR INTERFERING RNA TECHNOLOGY

TRANSCRIPTOME ANALYSIS IN WHITEFLIES TO IDENTIFY TARGET GENES THAT ARE USEFUL FOR INTERFERING RNA (RNAI) TECHNOLOGY

INVESTIGATING A ROLE FOR PLANT VIRUS SILENCING SUPPRESSOR PROTEINS IN VIRUS TRANSMISSION

DEVELOPMENT OF MOLECULAR TOOLS TO CONTROL CITRUS GREENING DISEASE

VIRUS-PROTEIN INTERACTIONS MEDIATING PROTEIN TRAFFICKING

GENETIC AND GENOMIC CHARACTERIZATION OF APPLE AND GRAPE GERMPLASM PRESERVED IN THE USDA-ARS GENEVA CLONAL REPOSITORY

METABOLIC AND GENOMICS ANALYSIS OF PHYTONUTRIENTS IN FRUIT AND NON-FRUIT PLANT TISSUES

GENOMIC AND METABOLIC ANALYSIS OF VEGETABLE AND CEREAL CROPS FOR IMPROVED PERFORMANCE AND QUALITY

UNDERSTANDING THE GLOBAL VIRUS DISTRIBUTION IN TOMATO AND DEVELOPMENT OF TRANSLATIONAL GENOMIC TOOLS TO ACCELERATE BREEDING FOR RESISTANCE

METABOLIC AND GENOMICS ANALYSIS OF PHYTONUTRIENTS IN FRUIT AND NON-FRUIT PLANT TISSUES

TRANSCRIPTOME ANALYSIS IN WHITEFLIES TO IDENTIFY TARGET GENES THAT ARE USEFUL FOR INTERFERING RNA (RNAI) TECHNOLOGY

UNDERSTANDING THE GLOBAL VIRUS DISTRIBUTION IN TOMATO AND DEVELOPMENT OF TRANSLATIONAL GENOMIC TOOLS TO ACCELERATE BREEDING FOR RESISTANCE

UNDERSTANDING THE GLOBAL VIRUS DISTRIBUTION IN TOMATO AND DEVELOPMENT OF TRANSLATIONAL GENOMIC TOOLS TO ACCELERATE BREEDING FOR RESISTANCE

VIRUS-PROTEIN INTERACTIONS MEDIATING PROTEIN TRAFFICKING

VIRUS-PROTEIN INTERACTIONS MEDIATING PROTEIN TRAFFICKING

VIRUS-PROTEIN INTERACTIONS MEDIATING PROTEIN TRAFFICKING - TO UNDERSTAND THE MOLECULAR MECHANISMS OF VIRUS MOVEMENT IN INSECT AND PLANT CELLS.

APPLYING BIOTECHNOLOGY TECHNIQUES TO IMPROVE TOMATO IN THE US AND PHILIPPINES - TO APPLY GENOME EDITING TECHNOLOGIES TO MANIPULATE TOMATO FUNCTIONAL GENES OR REGULATORY ELEMENTS TO GENERATE NOVEL GENE SEQUENCES WITH AGRICULTURALLY RELEVANT FUNCTIONS.

USING MASS SPECTROMETRY TECHNOLOGIES TO DEVELOP NOVEL MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES FOR HUANGLONGBING

NOT ALL PSYLLIDS ARE CREATED EQUAL: WHY DO SOME TRANSMIT LIBERIBACTER AND OTHERS DO NOT?

PHYSIOLOGICAL GENOMICS OF CROP ADAPTATION TO MARGINAL SOIL ENVIRONMENTS - THE OVERALL OBJECTIVES OF THIS RESEARCH ARE TO IDENTIFY GENES AND PHYSIOLOGICAL MECHANISMS THAT ENABLE CROP PLANTS TO ADAPT AND FLOURISH ON MARGINAL SOILS ENVIRONMENTS, INCLUDING HIGHLY ACID SOILS OF THE TROPICS AND SUB-TROPICS WHERE ALUMINUM (AL) TOXICITY REDUCES YIELD DUE TO AL INTOXICATION AND DAMAGE TO ROOT SYSTEMS, AND RELATIVELY INFERTILE SOILS WHERE YIELDS ARE LIMITED BY INSUFFICIENT WATER OR MINERAL NUTRIENTS. THE SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES ARE: 1) TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF AND BUILD UPON OUR RECENT PROGRESS IN THE IDENTIFICATION OF MAJOR ALUMINUM TOLERANCE GENES IN SORGHUM, RICE, AND MAIZE TO UNDERSTAND THE REGULATION OF EXPRESSION OF AL TOLERANCE GENES AND REGULATION OF THE FUNCTION OF THE AL TOLERANCE PROTEINS ENCODED BY THESE GENES TO FACILITATE, VIA MARKER-ASSISTED MOLECULAR BREEDING, MAIZE, SORGHUM AND RICE LIENS WITH ENHANCED AL TOLERANCE GENERATING HIGHER YIELDS ON AL TOXIC SOILS IN BOTH DEVELOPED AND DEVELOPING COUNTRIES. 2) IMAGE ROOT SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE IN ORDER TO GENETICALLY MAP ROOT ARCHITECTURE TRAITS THAT CONFER IMPROVED WATER AND NUTRIENT ACQUISITION EFFICIENCY, AND THEN MINE THESE DATA TO IDENTIFY THE GENES CONTROLLING THESE ROOT TRAITS IN ORDER TO IMPROVE CROP PERFORMANCE ON DROUGHT-PRONE AND MARGINAL SOILS.

METABOLIC AND GENOMICS ANALYSIS OF PHYTONUTRIENTS IN FRUIT AND NON-FRUIT PLANT TISSUES

BIOINFORMATIC ANALYSIS OF TRANSGENE EFFECTS ON CROP PLANTS

GENETIC AND GENOMIC CHARACTERIZATION OF APPLE AND GRAPE GERMPLASM PRESERVED IN THE USDA-ARS GENEVA CLONAL REPOSITORY

TRANSCRIPTOME ANALYSIS OF APPLE FRUIT DEVELOPMENT AND DISORDERS

METABOLIC AND GENOMICS ANALYSIS OF PHYTONUTRIENTS IN FRUIT AND NON-FRUIT PLANT TISSUES

SUPPORT PUBLICATION OF NABC REPORT 26--NEW DNA EDITH APPROACHES: METHODS, APPLICATIONS AND POLICY FOR AGRICULTURE

SUPPORT PUBLICATION OF NABC REPORT 26--NEW DNA EDITH APPROACHES: METHODS, APPLICATIONS AND POLICY FOR AGRICULTURE

WHITEFLY AND BOTTLE GOURD GENOME SEQUENCING AND TRANSCRIPTOME ANALYSIS TO IDENTIFY TARGET GENES THAT ARE USEFUL FOR INTERFERING RNA TECHNOLOGY

GENOMIC AND METABOLIC ANALYSIS OF VEGETABLE AND CEREAL CROPS FOR IMPROVED PERFORMANCE AND QUALITY

VIRUS-PROTEIN INTERACTIONS MEDIATING PROTEIN TRAFFICKING

GENOMIC AND METABOLIC ANALYSIS OF VEGETABLE AND CEREAL CROPS FOR IMPROVED PERFORMANCE AND QUALITY

GENETIC AND GENOMIC CHARACTERIZATION OF APPLE AND GRAPE GERMPLASM PRESERVED IN THE USDA-ARS GENEVA CLONAL REPOSITORY

PLANT SUMMIT 2019

USING MASS SPECTROMETRY TECHNOLOGIES TO DEVELOP NOVEL MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES FOR HUANGLONGBING - THE OBJECTIVE IS TO ENABLE GROWERS TO RAPIDLY IDENTIFY TREES NEWLY INFECTED WITH HUANGLONGBING (HLB) BY CHARACTERIZING BIOMARKERS THAT ARE PREDICTIVE OF INFECTION BEFORE VISUAL SYMPTOMS ARE OBSERVED ON THE TREE. EARLY-INFECTION HLB BIOMARKERS WILL PROVIDE GROWERS WITH CRITICAL INFORMATION AND ALLOW THEM TO ROUGE INFECTED TREES EARLY TO PREVENT THE SPREAD OF INFECTION WITHIN A GROVE. FOR CALIFORNIA, EARLY DETECTION WILL HELP PREVENT A RAPID SPREAD OF THE DISEASE. THE SECOND COMPONENT OF OUR WORK WILL ENABLE US TO DEVELOP PRECISION INHIBITORS THAT BLOCK PROTEIN INTERACTIONS CRITICAL FOR ACP SURVIVAL AND CLAS TRANSMISSION. PROOF OF CONCEPT IS IN HAND FOR A PROTEIN INTERACTION THAT IS CRITICAL TO REGULATE NORMAL CLAS GROWTH.

TRANSCRIPTOME ANALYSIS IN WHITEFLIES TO IDENTIFY TARGET GENES THAT ARE USEFUL FOR INTERFERING RNA (RNAI) TECHNOLOGY

TRANSCRIPTOME ANALYSIS IN WHITEFLIES TO IDENTIFY TARGET GENES THAT ARE USEFUL FOR INTERFERING RNA (RNAI) TECHNOLOGY

TRANSCRIPTOME ANALYSIS IN WHITEFLIES TO IDENTIFY TARGET GENES THAT ARE USEFUL FOR INTERFERING RNA (RNAI) TECHNOLOGY

FUNCTIONAL ANALYSIS OF TOMATO FRUIT QUALITY, NUTRIENT AND RIPENING GENES VIA GENETIC DIVERSITY ANALYSIS

COCHRAN FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM ? SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY AND GENETIC SEQUENCE DATA REGULATION AND POLICY FOR COLOMBIA

OSMOREGULATORY COLLAPSE TO CONTROL PHLOEM-FEEDING INSECT PESTS

MODIFYING INSECT MIDGUT RESPONSES TO PATHOGEN ATTACK

PHENOTYPIC CHARACTERIZATION OF A TOMATO EPI-RIL POPULATION

MOLECULAR MECHANISMS OF LUTEOVIRID PHLOEM TROPISM

MICOARRAY ANALYSIS OF AGRICULTURALLY RELEVANT GENE EXPRESSION IN THE PEACH-POTATO APHID, MYZUS PERSICAE