Molecular Analysis of the VPI/ABI3 Activator Repressor

这项工作的长期目标是了解控制植物种子成熟过程的激素和发育信号如何整合到更大的植物胚胎发生程序中。这位研究人员建议继续分析玉米的VP1突变体及其在拟南芥中的表面同源基因ABI3所确定的这一途径中的关键调控基因。VP1功能的复杂性表明，与其他蛋白质因子的相互作用在其功能中发挥着核心作用。这位P.I.将使用生化和遗传方法来识别并克隆可能与VP1和ABI3相互作用的基因。虽然VP1和ABI3有很大的同源性，但在VP1中已知的功能重要区域，这两个蛋白质是高度不同的。P.I.还将确定在玉米细胞和转基因拟南芥中VP1和ABI3序列在功能上可互换的程度。这也将提供ABI3的功能图谱，可与VP1的功能图谱相媲美；它还将有助于将拟南芥中可用的遗传学应用于成熟途径和ABI3功能。P.I.还计划分析在玉米和拟南芥中发现的成熟途径中的新突变。他对识别影响VP1或ABI3表达或功能的新突变特别感兴趣。

The long term goal of this work is to understand how the hormonal and developmental signals which control the process of seed maturation in plants are integrated into the larger program of plant embryogenesis. This investigator proposes to continue his analysis of a key regulatory gene in this pathway identified by the vp1 mutant of maize and its apparent homolog, ABI3, in Arabidopsis. The functional complexity of VP1 suggests that interactions with other protein factors play a central role in its function. The P.I. will use both biochemical and genetic approaches that will identify and allow him to clone genes which may interact with VP1 and ABI3. Though VP1 and ABI3 share significant homology, the proteins are highly divergent in regions known to be functionally important in VP1. The P.I. will also determine the extent to which VP1 and ABI3 sequences are functionally interchangeable in maize cells and in transgenic Arabidopsis. This will also provide a functional map of ABI3, comparable to that in hand for VP1; it will also aid in bringing the genetics available in Arabidopsis to bear on the maturation pathway and ABI3 function. The P.I. also plans to analyze new mutants in the maturation pathway identified in both maize and Arabidopsis. He is specifically interested in identifying new mutations that affect VP1 or ABI3 expression or function.