On April 24, 2018, the internationally renowned academic journal "Environmental Microbiology" (Chinese Academy of Sciences JCR zone: Environmental Science and Ecology Zone 1, 5 years IF: 5.965) published online in the journal of Professor Qin Qingming's research group from the School of Plant Science, Jilin University. "The key gluconeogenic gene PCK1 is crucial for virulence of Botrytis cinerea via initiating its conidial germination and host penetration" research paper. It is worth mentioning that the research was completed by an undergraduate innovation research team composed of undergraduates under the guidance of Professor Qingming Qin.
Diseases caused by plant pathogenic fungi account for about 70%-80% of plant diseases, causing huge economic losses worldwide every year. In order to control plant fungal diseases more scientifically, many experts and scholars in related fields from all over the world have actively participated in the study of the pathogenic mechanism of plant pathogenic fungi. Although a series of progress has been made, there are still many problems that plague the academic community. For example, what is the energy source of dead vegetative plant pathogenic fungi before they kill plant cells to obtain nutrients? What is the metabolic pathway? The research results of the research team answered these related scientific questions very well.
At the beginning of 2014, five undergraduates Liu Jiankang, Chang Haowu, Ding Yuhan, Wang Lan, and Zhao Yue from the College of Plant Sciences of Jilin University formed a college student innovation research team and entered the host-pathogen interaction open laboratory of Jilin University led by Professor Qin Qingming And started the innovative experimental research of college students for the above scientific problems.
The study focused on Botrytis cinerea, which is a plant pathogenic fungus that can infect more than 1,400 plants and cause Botrytis cinerea, causing huge economic losses worldwide every year, which has attracted much attention. The team has a strong interest in scientific research, and when the classroom learning tasks are heavy, try to squeeze out time to experiment in the laboratory. After hard work and hard work, the research team finally tasted the joy of harvest and discovered a new way for Botrytis cinerea to infect the host with enhanced virulence, and concluded that "the gluconeogenesis pathway is that the pathogen obtains nutrients from the host plant. Based on the previous development, Botrytis cinerea uses this pathway to enhance its virulence by initiating conidia germination, infecting structure formation, and invading host cells." This study is the first to discover and systematically explain that gluconeogenesis plays a variety of roles in the development and pathogenic process of plant pathogenic fungi. Gluconeogenesis can enable pathogens to cope with insufficient glucose and/or other carbon sources during infection. The results of this study indicate that the key components of gluconeogenesis and related regulatory factors are expected to become potential targets for the prevention and treatment of gray mold.
Jiankang Liu, an undergraduate graduate of the School of Plant Sciences, is the first author of this research paper, and Professor Qingming Qin and Lecturer Li Guihua of the School of Plant Sciences are the co-corresponding authors of this paper. The research has won the overseas talent introduction program of Jilin University, the national public welfare industry ) Special research projects, national "college student innovation and entrepreneurship training program" project funding.
Professor Qingming Qin joined Jilin University in 2012 and established the host-pathogen interaction open laboratory of Jilin University, as the laboratory leader. Professor Qin Qingming has long been engaged in the research of plant and medical pathogens, host-pathogen interactions, and host immune/disease resistance molecular mechanisms. He has published more than 40 research papers, many of which are published in Cell by corresponding authors or first authors Host & Microbe, PLoS Pathogens, Environmental Microbiology and other top or famous academic journals.
The first author of the paper, Jiankang Liu, has been involved in the research of this project since the beginning of 2014. He has cultivated good scientific research ethics and research ethics in more than three years, from looking up documents to operating experiments, from discovering and solving problems. Scientific research and innovation consciousness. In addition, Liu Jiankang was awarded the title of "Pacemaker for Self-reliance and Self-improvement of Jilin University", and has now been admitted to Tsinghua University, and is about to pursue a doctoral degree.
The School of Plant Science has long attached great importance to the training and cultivation of college students’ comprehensive abilities, and encouraged college students to participate in the "College Student Innovation and Entrepreneurship Training Program" activities across majors and departments. Taking the project as an opportunity, it will fully develop college students' experimental skills, scientific research and innovation capabilities, etc. Cultivation of comprehensive ability. In terms of scientific research, relying on key laboratories, the college’s public research platform, etc., ensure the smooth implementation of college students’ innovation and entrepreneurship training programs. In recent years, the college has added more than 30 innovative experimental projects each year, and the number of college students participating in the innovation and entrepreneurship training programs accounted for the total number of students. About 85% of the number of people.
