POWRE: The Origin of the Plant Small Heat Shock Proteins

植物最早在大约4.5亿年前出现在陆地上。 伴随植物向陆地迁移的植物形态的适应性已经得到了很好的研究。 人们对伴随这一重大事件的生理变化或适应所知甚少。 该项目将重点关注植物中小热激蛋白家族的起源，以及这些小热激蛋白的多样性是否与向陆地移动有关的问题。 所有生物都有热休克反应。 当生物体暴露于高温时产生热休克蛋白，并且通过与其他蛋白质的相互作用，热休克蛋白使生物体能够承受高温应激并存活。在陆地植物中，小分子热激蛋白是热激反应中特别重要的组成部分，构成了热激期间产生的蛋白质的大部分。 与其他生物的小分子热激蛋白相比，植物小分子热激蛋白也异常多样。 利用cDNA克隆和PCR技术，PI将研究轮藻（一组藻类）和苔藓植物（金鱼藻，地钱和苔藓;最古老的陆地植物谱系）的小热休克蛋白基因。 PI将确定在植物首次定居土地的时间段内，小的热激蛋白的数量是否增加，氨基酸序列是否发生变化。 这个POWRE奖将使沃茨博士能够继续她的独立研究生涯，并通过支持她作为加州大学圣地亚哥分校的访问科学家来照顾家庭的需要。

Plants first inhabited land approximately 450 million years ago. The adaptations in plant form that accompanied the movement of plants to land have been well studied. Much less is known about the physiological changes or adaptations that accompanied this important event. This project will focus on the origin of the small heat shock protein family in plants, and the question of whether diversification in these small heat shock proteins was associated with movement onto land. All organisms have a heat shock response. Heat shock proteins are produced when organisms are exposed to high temperatures and, through interactions with other proteins, the heat shock proteins enable organisms to withstand and survive high-temperature stress. In land plants the small heat shock proteins are a particularly important component of the heat shock response, making up the bulk of the protein produced during heat shock. Compared to the small heat shock proteins of other organisms, the plant small heat shock proteins are also unusually diverse. Using cDNA cloning and PCR techniques the PI will examine the small heat shock protein genes of Charophytes (a group of algae) and Bryophytes (hornworts, liverworts, and mosses; the most ancient lineages of land plants). The PI will determine if the small heat shock proteins increased in number and changed in amino acid sequence during the time period that plants firstinhabited land. This POWRE award will enable Dr. Waters to continue her independent research career and to attend to family needs by supporting her as a visiting scientist at the University of California, San Diego.