Project Number: 1920-22000-041-05
Project Type: Specific Cooperative Agreement

Start Date: Sep 12, 2011
End Date: Sep 11, 2013

Objective:
The objective of the proposed research is to identify putative resistance genes using a combination of bioinformatics, gene expression analysis, and virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) assays to investigate the role of specific genes and pathways that provide resistance against select isolates of soybean rust.

Approach:
Putative resistance genes will be identified through gene mapping, soybean gene expression studies, and from a comparative bioinformatic analysis of the soybean genome. Using virus-induced gene silencing these candidate genes will be silenced, or "turned off", in soybean plants that display resistance towards select isolates of soybean rust. Silenced plants will then be evaluated for a breakdown of resistance by challenging the plants with the pathogen and scoring for the development of disease. A combination of RT-PCR (to assess gene silencing) and gene sequencing will be used to complete the VIGS analysis.