ROLES OF REL2 MEDIATED TRANSCRIPTIONAL CO-REPRESSION IN MAIZE IMMUNITY

Plant pathogens are a devastating agricultural stressor that annually costs billions of dollars in yield loss. Protein acetylation is a significant post-translational modification that affects numerous molecular functions, such as stress and immune responses. However, it is not well understood how acetylation affects plant-pathogen interactions. In this study, the hypothesis that the transcriptional corepressor RAMOSA ENHANCER LOCUS2 (REL2) mediates immune signaling in maize and that protein acetylation affects this immune signaling will be tested. Through the use of large-scale "omics," genetic, and molecular techniques, this work aims to identify novel molecular processes underlying plant immunity in a key agricultural crop. This will allow us to construct a model of REL2 transcriptional regulation during pathogen and hormone response and gain a deeper molecular understanding of plant immunity.Objective 1: Determine REL2-associated gene expressionDetermine genes directly and indirectly regulated by REL2Determine the direct connection between transcript and phenotype via integrating differentially expressed mRNA and proteinsDetermine novel REL2-dependent gene expression regulation associated with pathogen response to HC-toxin in maizeDetermine predictive targets of REL2Objective 2: Elucidate how REL2 acetylation state impacts maize immunityDetermine the impact of K307 acetylation on REL2-mediated defense responseDetermine the impact of K307 acetylation on REL2 protein:protein interactionsDetermine novel REL2 protein interactorsDetermine the interplay between jasmonic acid, auxin, and REL2-mediated response to C. carbonum