The dawn of the potato epidemic is beginning to emerge.

Original title: The dawn of the potato epidemic
by the potato late epidemic infection, within a few days the farmland will become a "scorched earth."
mid-19th century, the late potato epidemic in Europe, which led to millions of people starving to death in Ireland, was known as the "Great Irish Famine", reflecting the profound impact of safe crop production on human society.
more than 100 years, scientists have been fighting the rapidly mutated potato late-disease bacteria.
April 14th, the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences published the latest results online, led by the crop epidemic team at Nanjing Agricultural University. They cracked the molecular mechanism of potato identification of a broad-spectrum disease-resistant gene, which provides a new way of thinking for the future development of green prevention and control of late epidemic disease.
wide-spectrum anti-late-disease gene
potato late-on-night disease, which is still in nature, is one of the world's worst plant diseases, causing nearly $10 billion in economic losses each year. Dong Shameng, a professor at Nanjing Agricultural University and author of the paper, described to the China Science Daily that the early symptoms of the late potato epidemic were not obvious and entered the middle and late stages a few days later. The potato stalks and leaves soon die out because they cannot be photosothyds."
" potato disease is a devastating crop disease, its prevention and treatment mainly depends on the application of a large number of chemical pesticides. Wang Yuanchao, dean of the School of Plant Protection at Nanjing Agricultural University, told the China Science Journal that the selection and cultivation of potato varieties containing disease-resistant genes is an important link in the green prevention and control of late-epidemic diseases, and that plant disease-resistant genes are a valuable resource for fighting germs.
However, in the absence of a clear mechanism of gene action against disease, frequent abuse of disease-resistant genes has caused most genes to fail in the field, the exploration and protection of broad-spectrum disease-resistant genes has become an urgent task. Wang Yuanchao said.
dong Shameng in an interview with the China Science Journal, said that major diseases have a characteristic, that is, the rapid rate of mutation, and after the mutation, the original disease-resistant varieties lost resistance. "Over the past 100 years or so, breeders have selected a number of potato disease-resistant varieties, but once extended to field production, many varieties often lose resistance after less than five years."
" at present, there are still a small number of rare broad-spectrum anti-late epidemic genes in nature. The disease-resistant gene Rpi-vnt1.1, which was analyzed in the latest study, is one of them, Wang said.
it is understood that the disease-resistant gene was successfully cloned in 2010, and after its approval, potato varieties carrying the gene have shown good economic and ecological benefits in North American field production. "However, the molecular mechanism of the gene's role is not yet known, restricting the protective development and utilization of the gene." Dong said.
Sanwen, a researcher at the Agricultural Genomics Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, told the China Science Journal that cultivating and applying genetically resistant product line is by far the most economical and environmentally friendly means of prevention and treatment of late-disease diseases. Therefore, the excavation and verification of potato seed resources and late-on-the-night disease resistance genes in wild near-source species is one of the most important topics in potato research in the past 20 years.
Defensive Counterattacks in the Leafy Green body
Dongsha Meng's research team found that the classical resistance gene Rpi-vnt1.1 (hereinafter referred to as the disease-resistant gene) mediated broad-spectrum resistance to late-epidemic disease by identifying the effectors secreted by late-epidemic bacteria, AVRvnt1 (hereinafter referred to as effectors). "The effect is relatively conservative in late-epidemic bacteria and is not prone to mutation, which may directly affect the field vitality of the bacteria. This is why the resistance of the gene has not been overcome by germs. Dong said.
scientists already know that destroying the function of chlorophynds causes plants to become ill, which is one of the main ways of infection of late potato disease. The Dongsha Meng task force confirmed that the resistance function produced by disease-resistant gene recognition effector has light dependence.
, dong Sha Meng, says the chlorophynd is like a small factory with a pipeline of protein molecules that produce energy and material for plants to grow. Chlorophyrconate kinase (GLYK) is an indispensable part of this.
variable starter selection (APS) regulation mechanism with light dependence exists on the kinase genetic bit, which can produce GLYKFL and GLYKcyt parts under different light conditions. GLYKFL is the main part under lighting conditions, because it contains chlorophylla signal peptides, so it is distributed in the chlorophylla and maintains its function, while another part that does not contain signal peptides, GLYKcyt, accumulates under lightless conditions and is slowly degraded because it cannot enter the chlorophylla.
bacteria effectors cleverly attack potato GLYKFL with chlorophylla signal peptides, by blocking kinase into the chlorophylla, cutting off its normal operation, curbing photosynsis, which in turn causes plants to feel sick under lighting conditions. But this process can be accurately identified by disease-resistant genes, timely start a series of immune responses.
" daytime photocoording exuberant, bacteria invasion hot, disease-resistant genes identified after the invasion and bacteria beat you dead and alive; Dong said.
looking forward to a broader study of disease-resistant mechanisms
over a period of 6 years, Dongsha Meng's research team has worked with a number of research institutes in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands to crack the mechanism of the broad-spectrum disease-resistant gene Rpi-vnt1.1.
Dong said that at present, because of the potato late epidemic bacteria and potatoes in "a lot of genetic operation is very difficult", so the international study of its pathogenic, disease-resistant factors is not much, very limited understanding.
Wang Yuanchao said that this achievement for the future scientific development and use of this disease-resistant gene provides an important practical basis, is expected to reduce chemical pesticides, ensure food safety, serve the national potato staple food strategy.
, Huang Sanwen pointed out that the analysis of kinase congener genes found that the chlorophylla signal peptides of the encoded protein were highly conservative in eggplant plants. Kinase not only has important function in disease-resistant gene-led effector excitation immunity, but also is an important regulatory factor in the basic immunity of aubergine plants.
" this reveals that variable starter selection may have a wide range of effects in plant resistance, as well as the important role of chlorophynds in plant resistance. The findings of this work have positive reference significance for the subsequent study of the resistance mechanism of late epidemic disease and even the resistance mechanism of other crops. Huang said.
, however, Dong stressed that what they have figured out is only the first step in the anti-disease mechanism, and it is not clear how the subsequent immune response will start in turn, and more scientific research is urgently needed.
, in addition to infecting potatoes through chlorophylla, pathogens can invade plants in a number of other ways, mechanisms that have yet to be studied by scientists.
related paper information:
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