Development of novel disease resistance plants by utilization of molecular mechanisms that regulate virus infection
Research members： Nobumitsu Sasaki PhD.
Research fields： Biomolecular science, Biological Science, Plant production and environmental agriculture
Departments： Department, Center
Keywords： plant virus resistance,gene regulation,genetically modified plants
Summary
Plants have distinct immune mechanisms from those of animals and induce various defense responses against virus invasion, preventing expansion of virus infection. On the other hand, viruses can spread throughout the whole plant by escaping from plant defense responses and also utilizing plant factors that rather help viruses amplify. In order to develop novel resistance plants that can cover a wide range of viruses, we have been doing molecular-level studies on plant-virus interactions in the processes of both virus resistance and virus amplification. Our current research themes are as follows.
i)Study on molecular mechanisms of the regulation of virus resistance gene N and N-mediated cell death induction
ii)Functional analysis on plant gene products that interacts with virus movement protein
iii)Development of novel virus resistance plants by genetically engineering resistance/susceptibility-related plant genes involved in virus infection
Reference articles and patents
1. Sasaki N, Takanoka M, Sasaki S, Hirai K, Meshi T, Nyunoya H. The splice variant Ntr encoded by the tobacco resistance gene N has a role for negative regulation of antiviral defense responses. Physiol. Mol. Plant Pathol. 84: 92-98. (2013)
2. Takano M, Haque MA, Odaira S, Nakata K, Sasaki N, Nyunoya H. Overexpression of a tobacco Dof transcription factor BBF1 stimulates the transcription of the tobacco mosaic virus resistance gene N and defense-related responses including ROS production. Plant Biotechnol. 30: 37-46. (2013)
3. Sasaki N, Odawara T, Deguchi M, Nyunoya H. Interference with initial and short-distance cell-to-cell movement of Tomato mosaic virus in transgenic tobacco plants with high expression of BcKELP, a virus movement protein interactor from Brassica campestris. Physiol. Mol. Plant Pathol. 78: 38-44. (2012)
4. Sasaki N, Odawara T, Deguchi M, Matsushita Y, Nyunoya H. Interference with Tomato mosaic virus cell-to-cell movement by transient overexpression of Arabidopsis thaliana KELP homologs from different plant species. J. Gen. Plant Pathol. 76: 69-73. (2010)
5. Harries P, Park J-W, Sasaki N, Ballard K, Maule A, Nelson R. Differing requirements for actin and myosin by plant viruses for sustained intercellular movement. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 106: 17594-17599. (2010)
Contact
University Research Administration Center(URAC),
Tokyo University of Agriculture andTechnology
urac[at]ml.tuat.ac.jp
(Please replace [at] with @.)