为了更好地了解白叶枯病抗性，研究组比较了中国栗树和易感美洲栗树的参考基因组、基因表达响应和茎代谢物谱。为了加速抗性育种，课题组研究人员对这些物种的杂种进行了大规模的表型和基因分型。模拟和接种试验表明，通过选择性地培育具有平均70 - 85%美洲栗树血统的树木，可以显著提高抗性。本工作开发的资源为培育具有足够抗病性和竞争性生长的多样性恢复种群奠定了基础。
据悉，一个多世纪以来，两种引入的病原体杀死了数十亿棵美国栗树，而来自中国栗树的抗性等位基因的渗入，促成了自我维持种群的恢复。然而，由于耐药性的遗传结构复杂，进展缓慢。
附：英文原文
Title: Genomic approaches to accelerate American chestnut restoration
Author: Jared W. Westbrook, Joanna Malukiewicz, Qian Zhang, Avinash Sreedasyam, Jerry W. Jenkins, Vasiliy Lakoba, Sara Fitzsimmons, Jamie Van Clief, Kendra Collins, Stephen Hoy, Cassie Stark, Lake Graboski, Eric Jenkins, Thomas M. Saielli, Benjamin T. Jarrett, Lucinda J. Wigfield, Lauren M. Kerwien, Ciera Wilbur, Alexander M. Sandercock, J. Hill Craddock, Susanna Keri, Tetyana Zhebentyayeva, Shenghua Fan, Austin M. Thomas, Albert G. Abbott, C. Dana Nelson, Xiaoxia Xia, James R. McKenna, Caleb Kell, Melissa Williams, LoriBeth Boston, Christopher Plott, Florian Carle, Jack Swatt, Jack Ostroff, Steven N. Jeffers, Kathleen McKeever, Erica Smith, Thomas J. Ellis, Joseph B. James, Paul Sisco, Andrew Newhouse, Erik Carlson, William A. Powell, Frederick V. Hebard, John Scrivani, Caragh Heverly, Martin Cipollini, Brian Clark, Eric Evans, Bruce Levine, John E. Carlson, David Goodstein, Jack Orebaugh, Zamin K. Yang, Madhavi Z. Martin, Joanna Tannous, Tomás A. Rush, Nancy L. Engle, Timothy J. Tschaplinski, Jane Grimwood, Jeremy Schmutz, Jason A. Holliday, John T. Lovell
Issue&Volume: 2026-02-12
Abstract: More than a century after two introduced pathogens killed billions of American chestnut trees, introgression of resistance alleles from Chinese chestnuts has contributed to the recovery of self-sustaining populations. However, progress has been slow because of the complex genetic architecture of resistance. To better understand blight resistance, we compared reference genomes, gene expression responses, and stem metabolite profiles of the resistant Chinese and susceptible American chestnut species. To accelerate resistance breeding, we conducted large-scale phenotyping and genotyping in hybrids of these species. Simulation and inoculation experiments suggest that significant resistance gains are possible through selectively breeding trees with an average of 70 to 85% American chestnut ancestry. The resources developed in this work are foundational for breeding to create diverse restoration populations with sufficient disease resistance and competitive growth.
DOI: adw3225
Source: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adw3225