Responsable: Agustín Vioque Peña
Tipo de Proyecto/Ayuda: Becas Marie Curie
Referencia: MIRG-CT-2005-031174
Web: http://cordis.europa.eu/projects/rcn/82733_en.html
Fecha de Inicio: 01-09-2006
Fecha de Finalización: 31-08-2008

Empresa/Organismo financiador/es:

• Commission of the European Communities (Research Directorate-General)

Equipo:

• Investigadores:
  • Olga Del Pozo Cañas

Contratados:

• Investigadores:
  • Fernando Nicolás de la Torre Fazio
  • María del Carmen García Limones
• Técnicos/Personal Administrativo:
  • Pablo Martín Mateos

Resumen del proyecto:

In the immune response, a resistance protein from the host (R) recognizes an avirulent protein from the pathogen (Avr) and elicits a defence response that abrogates the infection attempt. The immune response is generally accompanied by the hypersensitive response (HR), a form of programmed cell death (PCD) that manifests within hours after R/Avr recognition. In a random Virus-Induced-Gene-Silencing (VIGS) screening of a Nicotiana benthamiana cDNA library, I identified several genes that participate in the HR. Among those genes, I characterized in detail a MAPK kinase kinase kinase (MAPKKKa), a positive regulator of cell death in inmunity and susceptibility. I also identified a calcineurin B-like protein (NbCBL) and its target, a CBL-interacting protein kinase (NbCIPK).

These results implicate for the first time members of the CBL and CIPK families in biotic stress signalling. As a short-term goal, this project will focus on the characterization of NbCBL and NbCIPK in the immune and susceptible responses to pathogens in Solanaceae and Arabidopsis. For this purpose, I will use functional, biochemical, sub-cellular localization and genetic approaches. I will also investigate if there is a connection between the phosphorylation cascades elicited by CBL-CIPK and MA PKKKa. As a mid-long term goal, I plan to establish an optimised Forward Functional Genomics Screening strategy aimed to the targeted identification of genes that participate in early signalling events in the immune response (between R/Avr and MAPKKKa).