Leach J E, Ryba-White M, Sun Q, Wu C J, Hilaire E, Gartner C, Nedukha O, Kordyum E, Keck M, Leung H, Guikema J A
Department of Plant Pathology and Division of Biology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506-5502, USA.
Gravit Space Biol Bull. 2001 Jun;14(2):15-23.
Plants grown in spaceflight conditions are more susceptible to colonization by plant pathogens. The underlying causes for this enhanced susceptibility are not known. Possibly the formation of structural barriers and the activation of plant defense response components are impaired in spaceflight conditions. Either condition would result from altered gene expression of the plant. Because of the tools available, past studies focused on a few physiological responses or biochemical pathways. With recent advances in genomics research, new tools, including microarray technologies, are available to examine the global impact of growth in the spacecraft on the plant's gene expression profile. In ground-based studies, we have developed cDNA subtraction libraries of rice that are enriched for genes induced during pathogen infection and the defense response. Arrays of these genes are being used to dissect plant defense response pathways in a model system involving wild-type rice plants and lesion mimic mutants. The lesion mimic mutants are ideal experimental tools because they erratically develop defense response-like lesions in the absence of pathogens. The gene expression profiles from these ground-based studies will provide the molecular basis for understanding the biochemical and physiological impacts of spaceflight on plant growth, development and disease defense responses. This, in turn, will allow the development of strategies to manage plant disease for life in the space environment.
在太空飞行条件下生长的植物更容易被植物病原体侵染。这种易感性增强的根本原因尚不清楚。在太空飞行条件下，可能结构屏障的形成和植物防御反应成分的激活受到了损害。这两种情况都可能源于植物基因表达的改变。由于可用的工具有限，过去的研究集中在一些生理反应或生化途径上。随着基因组学研究的最新进展，包括微阵列技术在内的新工具可用于研究航天器中生长对植物基因表达谱的整体影响。在地面研究中，我们构建了水稻的cDNA扣除文库，该文库富含病原体感染和防御反应过程中诱导表达的基因。这些基因阵列正被用于在一个涉及野生型水稻植株和类病斑突变体的模型系统中剖析植物防御反应途径。类病斑突变体是理想的实验工具，因为它们在没有病原体的情况下会不规则地形成类似防御反应的病斑。这些地面研究的基因表达谱将为理解太空飞行对植物生长、发育和疾病防御反应的生化和生理影响提供分子基础。反过来，这将有助于制定在太空环境中管理植物病害的策略。
