Poster: Molecular & Cellular Plant-Microbe Interactions: Plant Defense Responses
760-P
QTL Analysis of flg22-triggered Basal Resistance in Maize
X. ZHANG (1), P. Balint-Kurti (1), . Stacey (2), Y. Cao (2) (1) North Carolina State University, U.S.A.; (2) University of Missouri, U.S.A.
Plants are constantly under attack by different pathogens. Molecules released or generated during microbial entry can be perceived by the plant and produce activate defense, including early responses such as the oxidative burst. An important component of this defense system is based upon the recognition of microbe-associated molecular patterns (MAMPs also known as pathogen-associated molecular patterns or PAMPs). Once MAMPs are detected by the plant, a defense response, termed MAMP-triggered immunity (MTI, also known as PAMP-triggered immunity or PTI) happens. In a few cases, a direct link has been established between MTI and speci?c quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for partial resistance. The MTI response has been widely studied, mainly in the model plant Arabidopsis and a few crops, such as Brassica and soybean. Few studies have examined MTI in maize. There is signi?cant potential in harnessing maize MTI to improve cultivars to withstand a variety of pathogens. In this study, we evaluated the MTI responses in 26 different maize genotypes by challenging with one well known MAMP (flg22), and then assessed a recombinant inbred line mapping population (CML228×B73) derived from parent lines with differential flg22 responses. We identified one major QTL on chromosome 2 associated with variation in the flg22 MAMP response. We will describe our progress in characterizing this QTL and in identifying QTL associated with other MAMP responses.