Integrative Approaches to Identify Stomatal Cell Fate Determinants

所有多细胞生物都面临着平衡细胞增殖与细胞分化和图案化的挑战。这种平衡的缺陷可能会导致器官畸形、神经退化和癌变。在植物中，这种协调挑战的例子是气孔的产生和组织，气孔是调节植物与大气之间二氧化碳和水蒸气交换的表皮结构。植物上气孔的总体密度和分布需要整合来自细胞内在因素、局部细胞-细胞相互作用和环境的信息。这项建议中的实验识别和表征了促进气孔发育所需的基因。将使用一系列分子和遗传方法来研究转录因子FAMA在抑制细胞分裂和促进气孔发育中的作用，并确定其合作伙伴和靶标。此外，在一种新的气孔促进基因筛查中发现的新突变将被描述和绘制。这些研究将有助于理解植物控制气孔密度和模式的发育机制，并可能导致操纵气体交换以促进作物生长和生物量生产的策略。该项目的一部分将由本科生完成，其中几人来自传统上在科学界代表性较低的群体；这将使有前途的年轻学生接触科学研究。及早接触基础研究的逻辑和方法论将有助于他们参与未来的科学努力。

All multicellular organisms face the challenge of balancing cell proliferation with cell differentiation and patterning. Defects in this balance can lead to malformed organs, to neural degeneration and to cancerous growth. In plants, this coordination challenge is exemplified by the creation and organization of stomata, the epidermal structures that regulate the exchange of carbon dioxide and water vapor between plants and the atmosphere. The overall density and distribution of stomata on the plant requires the integration of information from cell intrinsic factors, from local cell-cell interactions and from the environment. The experiments in this proposal identify and characterize genes required to promote stomatal development. A series of molecular and genetic approaches will be used to address the role of a transcription factor, FAMA, in the repression of cell division and promotion of stomatal development and to identify its partners and targets. Additionally, new mutations identified in a novel screen for stomatal promoting genes will be characterized and mapped. These studies should contribute to an understanding of the developmental mechanisms by which plants control the density and pattern of stomata, and may lead to strategies for manipulating gas exchange for improved growth of crop plants and biomass production. Portions of the project will be carried out by undergraduate students, several of whom are from groups traditionally underrepresented in science; this will expose promising young students to scientific research. Early exposure to the logic and methodology of basic research will facilitate their involvement in future scientific endeavors.