This $506,900 project grant from the National Science Foundation's Biological Sciences program (CFDA 47.074) supports research at the University of California, Davis to understand the molecular mechanisms of plant immune response to herbivore-associated peptide elicitors. The three-year award beginning June 1, 2022 will leverage a newly discovered pattern recognition receptor in common beans, INR, to quantify its contribution to overall herbivore defense against caterpillars. Researchers will use a backcrossed line of common bean with an introgressed INR deletion to measure receptor-dependent responses following live herbivore challenge at multiple timepoints and spatial scales. Reverse genetic and forward genetic screens will test the contribution of putative herbivore factors and identify novel legume factors involved in the immune response. Findings aim to inform use of pattern recognition receptors to confer agricultural pest and disease resistance traits. The award also includes an innovative cross-campus internship program placing two undergraduates each summer in mentored plant biology research experiences.
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