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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Peoria, Illinois » National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research » Mycotoxin Prevention and Applied Microbiology Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #276449
Title: Identifying and characterizing barley genes that protect against trichothecenes

Author
item SHIN, S - University Of Minnesota
item TORRES-ACOSTA, A - University Of Natural Resources & Applied Life Sciences - Austria
item LEMMENS, M - University Of Natural Resources & Applied Life Sciences - Austria
item PARIS, P - University Of Natural Resources & Applied Life Sciences - Austria
item BERTHILLER, F - University Of Natural Resources & Applied Life Sciences - Austria
item ADAM, G - University Of Natural Resources & Applied Life Sciences - Austria
item McCormick, Susan
item MUEHLBAUER, G - University Of Minnesota

Submitted to: National Fusarium Head Blight Forum
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/6/2011
Publication Date: 12/16/2011
Citation: Shin, S., Torres-Acosta, A., Lemmens, M., Paris, P., Berthiller, F., Adam, G., Mccormick, S.P., Muehlbauer, G.J. 2011. Identifying and characterizing barley genes that protect against trichothecenes. National Fusarium Head Blight Forum Proceedings. Session3,p.96.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Our overall goal is to identify genes that play a role in resistance to Fusarium Head Blight (FHB) and to develop and test transgenic wheat carrying these genes. In particular, we are interested in identifying genes that protect barley and wheat from the effects of trichothecenes. Previously, we conducted a large set of RNA profiling experiments during Fusarium graminearum infection of barley and inoculation with the trichothecene deoxynivalenol (DON). We identified a set of potential resistance genes that respond to trichothecene accumulation that encode a cysteine synthase, ABC transporters, UDP-glucosyltransferases (UGTs), cytochrome P450s, and glutathione-S-transferases (GST). In parallel, we developed an Arabidopsis assay to functionally test genes for their efficacy against trichothecenes. We then generated transgenic Arabidopsis over expressing one of the barley UGTs and five GSTs and tested these plants for their ability to grow on media containing trichothecenes. Transgenic Arabidopsis overexpressing the barley UGT and the GST genes exhibited high and moderate levels of tolerance to DON, respectively. Resistance to DON via UGT activity is considered an important component of resistance against FHB and is related to the ability to detoxify DON into DON-3-O-glucoside (D3G). DON feeding studies on the transgenic Arabidopsis carrying the barley UGT showed that DON was converted to D3G. More recently, we developed 18 events of transgenic wheat overexpressing the barley UGT and tested the transgenic lines for resistance to FHB. We identified five transgenic lines that expressed the UGT transgene and exhibited high type II FHB resistance.