Unlocking the Molecular Basis of Plant–Pathogen Interactions to Create Resilient Bioenergy Crops
Authors:
Qun Liu1* ([email protected], PI), Sean McSweeney1, Shinjae Yoo1, Ljiljana Paša-Tolić2, Yasuo Yoshikuni3, Christopher S. Henry4, Huimin Zhao5, Clint W. Magill6, Jeffery Dangl7
Institutions:
1Brookhaven National Laboratory; 2Pacific Northwest National Laboratory; 3Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory; 4Argonne National Laboratory; 5University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign; 6Texas A&M University; 7University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill
Abstract
The development of resilient and sustainable bioenergy crops such as sorghum, poplar, and switchgrass is a focal point within BER. Bioenergy crops, like all crops, are susceptible to diseases that can vastly impact yield and quality. With the large-scale deployment of bioenergy crops, pathogen outbreaks will inevitably occur. With climate change and growth in marginal conditions without competition with food crops, bioenergy crops are facing biothreats and diseases. Plant pathogens (fungi, bacteria, and viruses) produce a stunning array of virulence effector proteins and other molecules that interact and hijack plant defense systems resulting in infection and disease. Conversely, all plants encode intracellular innate immune receptors called nucleotide-binding leucine-rich repeat proteins (NLRs) that recognize effectors to elicit successful immune responses. The co-evolution of plants and pathogens drives cycles of infection and immunity. Researchers, therefore, are integrating systems biology, biomolecular characterization, and synthetic biology with computation and artificial intelligence/machine learning to provide foundational insights into the dynamic plant–pathogen interactions.
The output of this project will contribute to the development of a resilient U.S. bioeconomy, which includes the bioengineering and breeding of broad pathogen-resistant bioenergy crops and biocontrol of disease through mutualistic plant-bacteria interactions. The technologies and resources developed in this proposal may be rapidly deployable for combating emerging biotreats. Sorghum is the second most common biofuel crop in the United States and is the primary source of biodiesel production worldwide. However, a devastating anthracnose disease, caused by a fungal pathogen Colletotrichum sublineola can lead to yield losses of up to 67%. The co-evolution and genetic diversity of both sorghum and C. sublineola make this a highly relevant model system for studying plant-pathogen interactions. This team’s primary objective is to advance a fundamental understanding of plant-pathosystem interactions by investigating the molecular interactions between sorghum, its anthracnose- disease causative fungal pathogen C. sublineola, and antifungal biocontrol bacteria to create disease-resilient bioenergy crops.
The proposed project is organized into four linked aims. Aim (1) Identify molecular interactions underlying the pathogenicity of C. sublineola and its inhibition by bacteria. Aim (2) Characterize the molecular basis of key interactions determining C. sublineola pathogenicity, anthracnose resistance, and its susceptibility to biocontrol. Aim (3) Create synthetic pathogen infections to study pathogenicity, resilience, and disease biocontrol. Aim (4) Develop innovative computational resources to study plant–pathogen interactions across biological scales.