Project description:The tandem mass tags (TMT)quantitative proteomics were used for the analysis of protein expression in the maize roots after Holotrichia parallela larvae attacked
Project description:We aim to examine defense transcript changes in maize stems following elicitation with heat-killed Fusarium hyphae in B73 and Mo17.
Project description:Three different maize lines were assayed for differential gene expression in mature leaf tissue. Leaves from the Oh43 maize line are more resistant to insect larvae damage than the original parents, lines Oh40B and W8. The goal of the project was to discover genes highly expressed in the Oh43 line that potentially contributes to insect resistance.
Project description:Native host plant insect resistance in the maize inbred line Mp708 was developed by traditional plant breeding. Resistant Mp708 thwarts feeding by fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda [J.E. Smith]; Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), numerous other lepidopteran pests, and the coleopteran western corn rootworm. This broad resistance makes it an excellent model for studying native host plant resistance mechanisms. In response to caterpillar feeding, Mp708 rapidly mobilizes Mir1-CP, a unique cysteine protease that appears to translocate from roots to the maize midwhorl where it accumulates. This accumulation correlates with a significant reduction in caterpillar growth resulting from diminished food utilization. In addition, the peritrophic membrane (PM) that surrounds the food bolus in the mudgut (MG) is severely damaged in caterpillars fed on sweet corn callus transformed to express the gene encoding Mir1-CP or on midwhorl tissue from resistant Mp708 maize. Functions of the PM include assisting digestion and protecting the epithelium of the caterpillar MG from physical and chemical damage. Consequently, the reduced growth of caterpillars that feed on Mp708 is probably due to the action of Mir1-CP on PM physiology. In fact, previous in vitro studies indicated that Mir1-CP was capable of permeabilizing the PM. The present study used both targeted (qRT-PCR) and global (mRNA-seq) transcriptome analyses to explore the effect of eating Mir1-CP expressing Mp708 maize on abundance of transcripts in the MG of fall armyworm larvae in comparison to MGs from larvae fed on susceptible Tx601 maize that does not express Mir1-CP. Expression of genes encoding proteins involved in PM production is upregulated in MGs from fall armyworm fed on Mp708. Also, several digestive enzymes (endopeptidases, aminopeptidases, lipases, amylase) were more highly expressed in MGs from larvae fed on Mp708 than MGs from larvae fed on Tx601. Impaired growth of larvae fed on Mp708 probably results from metabolic costs associated with higher production of PM constituents and digestive enzymes in a compensatory attempt to maintain MG function.
Project description:ECB larvae remain damaging pests of conventiational maize production. To better understand the physiological and molecular changes occuring in stem tissue during insect attack we explored the biochemical and transcriptional profiles in these tissues. We used microarrays to detail the transcriptional changes associated with ECB attack and considered these in the context of biochemical markers of plant defense and total protein levels. Maize internode tissue was selected from untreated control plants and those which 5th instar ECB larvae had bored into for 48 h for RNA extraction and hybridization on Affymetrix microarrays.
Project description:The expression profiling of a newly identified maize dwarf mutant Dwarf11 (D11) was investigated by Affymetrix array. Results showed that transcripts encoding GA biosynthetic and catabolic enzymes ent-kaurenoic acid oxidase (KAO), GA 20-oxidase (GA20ox), and GA 2-oxidase (GA2ox) were up-regulated in the D11 mutant. We used microarrays to identify the difference of GA-related gene expression in D11 mutant. Stems of D11 mutant and wild type were selected for RNA extraction and hybridization on Affymetrix microarrays.