During his studies, Remy Kronbak has worked with resistance genes in cereals. Resistance proteins in plants, of which many belong to the nucleotide binding and leucine rich repeat (NB-LRR) family, constitute an effective protection layer against pathogens such as fungi. In dicot model plants, an introduced non-functional, P-loop disrupted NB-LRR protein encoded by a specifically mutated resistance gene has been demonstrated to act as a dominant negative to the wild type protein, thus inhibiting its function. This was never tried in monocot species, e.g. cereals. In an attempt to develop a screening method for specificity of novel resistance gene candidates in cereals, which has great relevance in disease resistant crop breeding, Remy Kronbak aimed to introduce mutated versions of two well characterized resistance genes, Yr10 and Mla1, in wheat and barley, respectively.

The findings indicate that P-loop disrupted versions of Yr10 and Mla1, which both belong to a different NB-LRR subfamily than the investigated dicot proteins, have a lethal effect, which is a hindrance for successful plant transformation and thus an obstacle for the screening strategy.

The PhD degree was completed at Research Centre Flakkebjerg, Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Science and Technology, Aarhus University.

Time: Tuesday 24 June 2014 at 10.30
Place: The auditorium, Research Centre Flakkebjerg, Slagelse, Denmark, Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University.
Title of dissertation: P-loop mutated resistance genes in cereals
Contact information: Remy Kronbak, e-mail: remy.kronbak@agrsci.dk, tel.: +45 60843510
Members of the assessment committee:
Associate Professor Kåre L. Nielsen, Department of Biotechnology, Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Aalborg University
Professor Huw Jones, Plant Biology and Crop Science Department, Rothamsted Research
Associate Professor Søren Borg (chair), Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University
Main supervisor:
Senior scientist Per L. Gregersen, Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University
Co-supervisors:
Associate professor Henrik Brinch-Pedersen, Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University
Professor Mogens S. Hovmøller, Department of Agroecology, Aarhus University
Language: The PhD dissertation will be defended in English.

The defense is public.
The dissertation is available for reading at the Graduate School of Science and Technology/GSST, Ny Munkegade 120, building 1521, room 112, 8000 Aarhus C.