Abstract

The focus of this thesis project was to investigate the impact of cold temperature conditions on the resistance of Vitis vinifera (grapevines) to powdery mildew, a phenomenon known as cold stress-induced disease resistance (SIDR). The model organism Arabidopsis thaliana was used to determine specific defense mechanisms of plant-pathogen resistance. An RNA-Seq time course experiment was performed for the two organisms: V. vinifera and A. thaliana. The time-series datasets consisted of data points where samples were exposed to an acute (less than 4 hours) cold (below 8°C) temperature for set times prior to inoculation with powdery mildew. The acute cold time points used ranged from 48 hours, 36 hours, 24 hours, and 12 hours prior to inoculation. An untreated control group, which was not exposed to any acute cold treatment, was used to compare between the treatments. The significant, differentially expressed genes were evaluated and mapped to the pathways of the respective organisms. The outcome of this project was the identification of pathways, as well as potential genes of interest, involved with cold stress-induced disease resistance. There has been limited research on genetic mechanisms of cold stress induced disease resistance. This project provides an improved understanding of the interactions between host stress and the epidemiology of the biotrophic pathogen powdery mildew.

Library of Congress Subject Headings

Grapes--DIsease and pest resistance; Arabidopsis--Disease and pest resistance

Publication Date

4-11-2019

Document Type

Thesis

Student Type

Graduate

Degree Name

Bioinformatics (MS)

Department, Program, or Center

Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences (COS)

Advisor

Michael V. Osier

Advisor/Committee Member

Lance Cadle-Davidson

Advisor/Committee Member

Dawn Carter

Campus

RIT – Main Campus

Plan Codes

BIOINFO-MS

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