Establishment of a Brachypodium model system to investigate defense reponse against insect-borne virus

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K23675
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Research Activity Start-up
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: 0602:Agricultural and environmental biology and related fields
• Research Institution: Niigata University
• Principal Investigator: Minato Nami 新潟大学, 自然科学系, 助教 (60843430)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-08-30 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: plant virus / insect vector / Brachypodium / wheat

Outline of Final Research Achievements

For studying insect-borne pathogens, an experimental system needs to be established that includes host plants both of the pathogen and the vector insect. It often limits rapid and efficient analyses at molecular level. In this study, we found that a model cereal plant, Brachypodium distachyon, is a suitable host plant for examining tripartite interactions with aphid-borne cereal viruses, yellow dwarf viruses (YDVs). Our findings also revealed that multiple virus infections with YDVs alter the defense response of host plants and the preference of their vector aphid.

Free Research Field

植物保護科学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

植物ウイルスの多くは昆虫によって媒介され、様々な植物に病気を引き起こす。イネ科作物に黄萎病を引き起こす黄萎ウイルス群 (YDVs) は、アブラムシを介してコムギやオオムギなどのムギ類に感染し、世界で最も深刻な経済被害をもたらす植物ウイルスの一つである。しかしながら、発見から60年以上が経った今でも有効な防除法が見つかっておらず、YDVに対する新規防除法の確立は農業上の喫緊の課題である。本研究では、新規ムギ類モデル植物であるミナトカモジグサを用いてYDV-植物-媒介昆虫の三者間相互作用における分子基盤を解明すべく病徴誘導メカニズムについて解析を行った。