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SUMMARY:Priming: fine-tuning of plant innate immunity - Jurriaan Ton\, Rot
 hamsted Research
DTSTART:20110401T120000Z
DTEND:20110401T123000Z
UID:TALK28381@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:15560
DESCRIPTION:Estrella Luna\, Shakoor Ahmad\, Yuhua Zhang\, Toby Bruce\, Rut
 h Gordon-Weeks\, and Jurriaan Ton \nRothamsted Research\, Centre for Susta
 inable Pest and Disease Management\, AL5 2JQ\, Harpenden\, UK.\n\nSpecific
  environmental stimuli can prime the plant immune system. Primed plants ex
 press a faster and stronger basal defence response upon attack by microbia
 l pathogens or herbivorous insects. Previously\, we found that priming is 
 a cost-efficient defence strategy that improves plant fitness under condit
 ions of disease pressure. Current work in our lab is focussed on the signa
 lling pathways underpinning priming and ecological impacts of this evoluti
 onary conserved defence strategy. We have identified a novel regulatory ge
 ne in the onset of chemically induced priming of Arabidopsis\, which point
 s to a signalling role for nucleotide compounds. Furthermore\, we recently
  discovered that plants exposed to fitness-reducing disease pressure produ
 ce progeny that are primed for salicylic acid-dependent defence. This tran
 s-generational resistance still occurred after an intervening generation o
 f disease-free conditions\, suggesting an epigenetic basis of the phenomen
 on. In addition to our Arabidopsis studies\, we examine priming by herbivo
 re-induced volatiles in maize. Recent progress suggests a within-plant sig
 nalling function of the aromatic volatile indole. This research furthermor
 e pointed to an unexpected signalling role of indole-derived secondary met
 abolites in cereal defence.\n
LOCATION:Department of Plant Sciences\, Large Lecture Theatre
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