Analysis of Arabidopsis PRP-Cell Wall Interactions

拟南芥提供了一个模型系统，在这个模型系统中，分子遗传学和细胞生物学方法都可以用来评估和定义植物细胞壁中结构蛋白的功能。富含脯氨酸蛋白(PRPS)是一类结构细胞壁蛋白家族，在植物逆境反应中起着维持细胞功能和广泛防御机制的作用。表达标记形式的PRP的转基因植物将被用来1)探索这种蛋白质在植物发育过程中的细胞壁沉积模式；以及2)检测这种蛋白质在不同细胞类型的壁内交联化的能力。在与该蛋白表达相关的细胞类型的发育过程中改变的突变体也将被鉴定，以确定在这些突变体中观察到的细胞形状和功能的变化是否可以破坏或改变正常的PRP/WALL相互作用。使用类似的方法，将分析拟南芥PRP(AtPRP)基因家族的其他几个成员，以确定单个基因家族成员是否对特定细胞类型的细胞外基质结构做出独特的贡献。将启动一项基于PCR的筛选，以确定AtPRP基因家族几个成员的潜在T-DNA插入突变体。从这些筛选中鉴定出的突变体将在分子水平上进行表征，如果时间允许，将分析与AtPRP表达缺失相关的表型。

Arabidopsis thaliana provides a model system in which both molecular genetic and cell biology approaches can be used to evaluate and define the function of structural proteins in the plant cell wall. Proline rich proteins (PRPs) represent afamily of structural cell wall proteins which have been implicated as contributing to maintenance of cell function and in generalized defense mechanisms in response to plant stress. Transgenic plants expressing a tagged version of a PRP will be used to 1) explore the pattern of cell wall deposition for this protein during plant development; and 2) to examine the ability of this protein to become crosslinked within walls of different cell types. Mutants altered in the development of cell types associated with the expression of this protein will also be characterized to determine if changes in cell shape and function observed in these mutants can disrupt or alter normal PRP/wall interactions. Using a similar approach, several other members of the Arabidopsis PRP(AtPRP) gene family will be analyzed to determine if individual gene family members make unique contributions to extracellular matrix structure in specific cell types. A PCR-based screen to identify potential T-DNA insertion mutants for several members of the AtPRP gene family will be initiated. Mutants identified from these screens will be characterized at a molecular level and, if time permits, will be analyzed for phenotypes associated with the loss of AtPRP expression.