# Dissect the Timing Mechanism for Immune Maturation in Plants

> **NIH NIH R35** · UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA · 2021 · $349,577

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
The maturation of an organism is associated with changes in a spectrum of physiological and
morphological traits, including age-dependent change of immunity. Plants undergo an age-
dependent gain of disease resistance during shoot maturation, which is known as the Age-related
resistance (ARR). Despite the accumulating knowledge of the molecular and cellular details of
the plant innate immune network, our knowledge about how the defense responses are
incorporate into distinct cellular context during the maturation of an organism is still very limited.
The aim of this proposed study is to dissect the timing mechanism that governs the onset of ARR
in plants. We will use Arabidopsis thaliana and its bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas syringae pv.
tomato DC3000 as a model system to elucidate the genetic architecture and signaling
components of ARR. Our overall hypothesis is that a heterochronic microRNA pathway is an
intrinsic clock regulating the coordinated onset of developmental and immune maturation.
Functional diversification of the miRNA targets ensures the robustness and plasticity of the
maturation process in response to intrinsic and environmental signals. We aim to identify the
genetic components linking developmental timing and innate immunity. We will also explore the
host-pathogen arms race on the components of ARR. The plant innate immune system share
striking similarities with the mammalian innate immune system in receptor structure and signaling
cascade. The proposed study has promising potential to generate novel insights into the
molecular mechanisms of how developmental and immune programs are coordinated during the
maturation of an organism. Our long-term goal is to provide fundamental knowledge of the
crosstalk between development and defense, a tradeoff critical for plant survival.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10276940
- **Project number:** 1R35GM143067-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA
- **Principal Investigator:** Li Yang
- **Activity code:** R35 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $349,577
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2021-07-01 → 2026-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10276940

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10276940, Dissect the Timing Mechanism for Immune Maturation in Plants (1R35GM143067-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10276940. Licensed CC0.

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