The objective of this project is to understand the role of jasmonic acid (JA) signaling in plants. JA regulates many important aspects of plant biology, including defense against biotic and abiotic stresses, growth and reproductive development. JA signaling also plays an important role in the plant during infection by the bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas syringae. For example, plant mutants that are impaired for JA signaling are not easily infected by P. syringae. To gain a better understanding of how JA responses are regulated, it is important to identify and characterize components that control JA signaling in the plant. This project seeks elucidate a branch of the JA signaling pathway governed by the JIN1/MYC2 transcription factor. The JIN1/MYC2-dependent branch of JA signaling is of particular interest, as the investigators have demonstrated that disease susceptibility to P. syringae requires the activity of JIN1/MYC2. A combination of molecular, biochemical and genetic approaches will be used to identify and characterize additional components of the JIN1/MYC2-dependent JA signaling pathway in A. thaliana, and to investigate their roles in regulating JA signaling and disease susceptibility to P. syringae. These studies should yield improved understanding of JA signal transduction and mechanisms leading to disease susceptibility in plants, and may ultimately lead to the development of improved strategies for controlling plant stress and disease in agricultural systems. The project will provide stimulating and valuable research and educational opportunities for high school, undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral students. In summers a local high school student will join the research group to work on experiments related to this project. Additionally, a local high school teacher will collaborate with the group to develop experimental modules involving JA signaling mutants to bring hands-on plant biology and genetics into high school classrooms.
