Protein kinases that regulate root waving

蛋白激酶是在所有细胞类型中发现的调节酶。它们参与了对激素、营养、发育和环境刺激的大量反应。提出的工作的总体目标是阐明所选择的蛋白激酶在幼苗发育中所起的作用。拟南芥中的两种蛋白激酶WAG 1和WAG 2是本研究的重点。WAG 1和WAG 2的突变消除了这些基因的表达。然而，wag 1和wag 2单突变体对植物没有表现出可检测的影响。然而，当将wag单突变体遗传杂交以产生wag 1/wag 2双突变体时，与其非突变体对应物相比，它们确实显示出容易观察到的差异。双突变体的幼苗表现出显着的根生长缺陷时，生长在垂直方向的培养皿：根具有波浪形图案。只有当培养皿从垂直方向向后倾斜（倾斜间距小于90）时，才能在正常幼苗中观察到这种类型的根波动。WAG 1和WAG 2可能是拟南芥根波动的负调控因子。为了阐明WAG 1和WAG 2在根生长中的作用，本研究的具体目的是：（1）探讨改变WAG 1和WAG 2的数量或酶活性是否会影响转基因拟南芥幼苗的根摆动反应。(2)探索wag 1/wag 2突变体中波浪形根表型的潜在机制，特别是重力对根生长和植物生长激素auxin.Broader影响的运输和响应的影响：本项目将为本科生，研究生和博士后提供培训机会。正在研究的两个WAG基因编码蛋白激酶，当突变时，它们会赋予幼苗根系一种不寻常的生长模式。了解WAG激酶的作用，将提供基本的洞察调节根的发展，尚未被定义的细胞途径。根波动可以被看作是一种适应性反应，可以增强根在土壤中遇到的不可穿透的物体周围导航的能力。因此，了解根系波动的过程和调控它的基因可能有助于其他研究领域，如生态生理学。此外，操纵根波动基因可能会提高幼苗的能力，成为建立在外地，从而提供农业效益。

Protein kinases are regulatory enzymes found in all cell types. They are involved in a vast array of responses to hormonal, nutritional, developmental, and environmental stimuli. The overall goal of the work proposed is to elucidate the roles played by selected protein kinases in the development of young seedlings. Two protein kinases from Arabidopsis named WAG1 and WAG2 are the focus of this proposal. Mutations in both WAG1 and WAG2 abolish the expression of these genes. Nevertheless, the wag1 and wag2 single mutants exhibit no detectable affect on the plant. However, when the wag single mutants are genetically crossed to generate wag1/wag2 double mutants, they do show a readily observable difference compared to their non-mutant counterparts. Seedlings of the double mutants exhibit a pronounced root growth defect when grown on vertically-oriented Petri plates: the roots possess a wavy pattern. Root waving of this type is observed in normal seedlings only when the Petri plates are leaned backward from vertical (inclined at pitches less than 90). It is proposed that WAG1 and WAG2 are negative regulators of root waving in Arabidopsis. To elucidate the roles that WAG1 and WAG2 play in root growth, the specific aims of the proposed research are: (1) To ask whether altering the amount or enzymatic activity of WAG1 and WAG2 affects the root waving response in transgenic Arabidopsis seedlings. (2) To explore the underlying mechanisms for the wavy root phenotype in wag1/wag2 mutants, particularly with regard to the effect of gravity on root growth and the transport of and response to the plant growth hormone auxin.Broader Impacts:This project will provide training opportunities for an undergraduate student, a graduate student, and a postdoctoral associate. The two WAG genes under study encode protein kinases that when mutated confer an unusual growth pattern on seedling roots. Understanding the role of the WAG kinases will provide fundamental insight into the cellular pathways regulating root development that have not yet been defined. Root waving can be viewed as an adaptive response that may enhance the ability of a root to navigate its way around impenetrable objects encountered in the soil. As such, understanding the process of root waving and the genes that regulate it might contribute to other research areas, such as ecological physiology. Moreover, manipulating root waving genetically might improve a young seedlings ability to become established in the field, and thus provide agricultural benefits as well.