Search for the Phytophthora mating hormone receptors and signal transduction analysis

2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26252015
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Bioorganic chemistry
• Research Institution: Nagoya University
• Principal Investigator: Ojika Makoto 名古屋大学, 生命農学研究科, 教授 (50152492)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 矢島 新 東京農業大学, 生命科学部, 准教授 (30328546)
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: 疫病菌 / Phytophthora / 交配ホルモン / 受容体 / 生合成

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The plant pathogens of the genus Phytophthora, which are known to infect important crops and cause enormous damage, use mating hormones to perform sexual reproduction. With the aim of establishing the molecular basis of this biological phenomenon, we aimed to identify hormone receptors and biosynthetic enzymes. Biochemical approaches using fluorescent probes, etc. have not been successful due to the instability or low expression of proteins. Therefore, searching for receptors and biosynthetic genes by transcriptome analysis using RNA-Seq have performed, resulting in the finding several candidate genes. Experiments such as gene knockdown are in progress to identify the receptors and biosynthetic enzymes.

Free Research Field

生物有機化学、天然物化学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

疫病菌（Phytophthora属糸状菌）は、様々な作物に感染して甚大な被害を与えることで知られる。特にジャガイモ疫病菌はアイルランドジャガイモ飢饉を引き起こした歴史をもつ。この植物病原菌は有性生殖を行うことで耐久性（グローバルな拡散性）と遺伝的多様性を獲得した有性胞子を作るので、疫病菌有性生殖の分子基盤の確立は、微生物有性生殖メカニズムの解明という学術的な意義に加え、疫病菌繁殖制御に繋がる重要課題である。