Research

Life Sciences & Biotechnology

Title :

Investigating the role of a tomato membrane bound NAC transcription factor (SlNACMTF3) in shaping antiviral immune response against Tomato Leaf curl virus

Area of research :

Life Sciences & Biotechnology

Principal Investigator :

Dr. Supriyo Chowdhury, Dr. D. Y. Patil Biotechnology And Bioinformatics Institute, Maharashtra

Timeline Start Year :

2022

Timeline End Year :

2024

Contact info :

Equipments :

Details

Executive Summary :

NAC proteins, a family of plant-specific transcription factors, play a crucial role in evoking various development and immune responses against pathogens. A specific type of NAC TF is NTL, which is characterized by a variable transcriptional regulatory domain and a transmembrane motif in the C-terminal region. The Tomato leaf curl virus (TolCV) is a major constraint on tomato cultivation in India, causing millions of yield losses annually. There is a lack of research on NTL's role in antiviral response, which constitutes a large section of the NAC family. In the tomato genome, about 12 NTLs (SlNACMTF1-SlNACMTF12) have been reported, with 1 being significantly upregulated upon TolCV infection and exhibiting in-planta transcriptional regulation. This project aims to characterize the probable role of SlNACMTF3 in plant immune response to TolCV viral replication using overexpression and silencing constructs. The study will also investigate the molecular mechanism behind the functional activation of SlNACMTF3 and its effect on transcriptional regulation post TolCV exposure. The project will also identify the specific NAC binding site (NACBS) with maximum affinity for the TF, validate its interaction with designated SlNACMTF3, and analyze gene expression of highly differentially regulated genes. This research is expected to provide important cues to generate virus-resistant tomato lines in the near future.

Total Budget (INR):

32,83,000

Organizations involved