Author
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Kendra, David |
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Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only Publication Acceptance Date: 3/15/2009 Publication Date: 3/15/2009 Citation: Kendra, D.F. 2009. Disease Lesion Mimics of Maize as a Potential Source of Resistance to Fusarium Ear Rot [abstract]. Annual Maize Genetics Conference. p. 135. Interpretive Summary: Technical Abstract: Fusarium ear rot of maize is a major problem worldwide, often resulting in poor quality grain and contamination with a family of mycotoxins called fumonisins. Fumonisins are produced by Fusarium verticillioides and related species and are acutely toxic to certain livestock. They function by inhibiting ceramide synthase thereby disrupting sphingolipid biosynthesis. A major biological effect of fumonisins is the induction of programmed cell death (apoptosis) in various in vitro and in vivo model systems. Resistance to visible symptoms of Fusarium ear rot can be selected by traditional maize breeding methods; however, this resistance is not correlated with toxin accumulation nor asymptomatic infection. In order to identify maize germplasm with resistance to fumonisin accumulation, we initiated a project to screen maize lesion mimic mutant lines for ear rot and fumonisin accumulation. Lesion mimic mutants of maize are characterized by the formation of disease-like symptoms in the absence of pathogens and are associated with expression of programmed cell death mechanisms that are thought to play a major role in plant defense. Because a majority of the characterized mutations are dominant, they may serve as a model to identify disease resistance pathways for ear rot and fumonisin formation. This paper will describe our experimental protocol and preliminary data. |
