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ARS Home » Plains Area » Lincoln, Nebraska » Wheat, Sorghum and Forage Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #365723
Research Project: Genetic Improvement of Sorghum for Bioenergy, Feed, and Food Uses

Location: Wheat, Sorghum and Forage Research

Title: Responses of sorghum and wheat modified in phenylpropanoid metabolism to fungal pathogens

Author
item Funnell-Harris, Deanna
item Sattler, Scott
item Khasin, Maya
item WEGULO, STEPHEN - University Of Nebraska

Submitted to: Crop Health Conference Proceedings
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/3/2019
Publication Date: 7/12/2019
Citation: Funnell-Harris, D.L., Sattler, S.E., Khasin, M., Wegulo, S. 2019. Responses of sorghum and wheat modified in phenylpropanoid metabolism to fungal pathogens. Crop Health Conference Proceedings. University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, Australia, July 12, 2019

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Lignin and other phenylpropanoid metabolites have long been implicated in plant defense as induced or extant physical barriers within plant cell walls to limit pathogen ingress and as antimicrobial or signaling molecules directly or indirectly inhibiting pathogen progression. Using brown midrib (bmr; reduced lignin) mutants of sorghum and overexpression of sorghum monolignol biosynthesis genes in sorghum and wheat, we have been able to elucidate possible roles that soluble and cell wall-bound phenolics may play in plant defense against specific fungal pathogens. Global expression analysis and metabolomics of products of the phenylpropanoid pathway have indicated expansive effects of sorghum bmr mutations in response to pathogen attack and the abiotic stress, drought.