Epigenetic factors in the Fusarium-wheat interaction
Abstract
Fungal-plant interactions constitute fine-tuned interplays where each of the participating organisms has evolved efficient strategies to win over the other. To establish a successful infection of a plant host the invading fungal pathogen has to quickly respond and adapt to numerous plant defence mechanisms. This implies a coordinated expression of metabolic and virulence-associated genes, and there is compelling evidence that part of the communication between both interacting organisms is regulated at the level of chromatin. In this project, we strive to unravel chromatin-based mechanisms that govern adequate transcriptomic responses during the host-pathogen interaction using the notorious plant pathogen Fusarium graminearum and wheat (Triticum aestivum) as pathosystem. We have previously identified and characterised a heterochromatin-deficient mutant (Δhep1) that exhibited a hypervirulent phenotype. While most strains deficient for a specific chromatin regulator exhibit a hypo- or avirulent phenotype, deletion of the heterochromatin protein 1-encoding gene (hep1), exhibited a hypervirulence of F. graminearum towards its plant host wheat (J. Strauss and colleagues, unpublished data). This phenotype provides a unique advantage in terms of in planta analyses.
keywords Fusarium resistance epigenetics
Publikationen
Project staff
Joseph Strauss
Univ.Prof. Mag.rer.nat. Dr.rer.nat. Joseph Strauss
joseph.strauss@boku.ac.at
Tel: +43 1 47654-94420
Project Leader
01.09.2017 - 15.12.2020
Simone Bachleitner
Dipl.-Ing. Dr. Simone Bachleitner B.Sc.
simone.bachleitner@boku.ac.at
Tel: +43 1 47654-79038, 79045
Project Staff
01.09.2017 - 15.12.2020