RUI: PIRL1 & PIRL9, novel plant Ras-group related LRR proteins essential for male gametophyte function

瑞：PIRL1

• 批准号: 0616166
• 负责人: Daniel Vernon
• 金额: $ 36.05万
• 依托单位: Whitman College
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2006
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2006-07-01 至 2011-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0616166&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: RUI; PIRL1; & PIRL9; novel

Leucine-Rich Repeat proteins (LRRs) constitute a large gene/protein superfamily found in diverse species. LRR domains in these proteins bind specifically to other proteins, and many LRR proteins act in cell signaling networks. PIRLs (Plant Intracellular Ras-group-related LRRs) are a novel family of plant LRRs more closely related to a class of LRRs from animals and yeast than to previously described types of plant proteins. Some related LRR proteins from animals are involved in cell signaling pathways important in cancer and development.This project focuses on PIRL1 and PIRL9, two closely-related PIRL genes from the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. Preliminary experiments with gene knockout mutants have shown that these genes have redundant and essential roles in pollen development, a process crucial for plant reproduction. The proposed research will employ a combination of genetic, microscopy, and molecular strategies to obtain an integrative understanding the functions of PIRL1 and PIRL9 in plant reproduction, by identifying where these genes act in the context of the whole plant and defining the cellular pathways and biochemical interactions in which they take part. Specific objectives: 1) complete genetic studies of pirl1:pirl9 double mutants and mutant pollen; 2) more precisely define how pirl mutations impact pollen development; 3) determine the sub-cellular locations of PIRL proteins; and 4) investigate biochemical functions by identifying PIRL-binding proteins. An additional objective is to train future U.S. scientists by providing undergraduate research opportunities in post-genomic plant biology: this research will be carried out at an undergraduate college with a high percentage of students who pursue graduate study and careers in biology. By providing insights into plant signal transduction and the genetic requirements for pollen development, this work should ultimately contribute to effective manipulation of plant growth, with benefits for agricultural productivity and plant breeding.

富亮氨酸重复序列蛋白（Leucine-Rich Repeat proteins, lrr）是一个存在于多种物种中的大型基因/蛋白超家族。这些蛋白中的LRR结构域与其他蛋白特异性结合，许多LRR蛋白在细胞信号网络中起作用。PIRLs （Plant Intracellular Ras-group-related LRRs）是一个新的植物LRRs家族，与来自动物和酵母的一类LRRs的关系比以前描述的植物蛋白类型更密切。来自动物的一些相关LRR蛋白参与了在癌症和发展中重要的细胞信号通路。本项目主要研究模式植物拟南芥（Arabidopsis thaliana）中两个密切相关的PIRL基因PIRL1和PIRL9。基因敲除突变体的初步实验表明，这些基因在花粉发育中具有冗余和必要的作用，花粉发育是植物繁殖的关键过程。拟议的研究将采用遗传学，显微镜和分子策略的结合，通过确定这些基因在整个植物中的作用，并确定它们参与的细胞途径和生化相互作用，来全面了解PIRL1和PIRL9在植物繁殖中的功能。具体目标：1)完成pirl1:pirl9双突变体和突变花粉的遗传研究；2)更精确地定义柱头突变对花粉发育的影响；3)确定PIRL蛋白的亚细胞位置；4)通过鉴定pirl结合蛋白来研究其生化功能。另一个目标是通过提供后基因组植物生物学的本科生研究机会来培养未来的美国科学家：这项研究将在本科学院进行，其中攻读生物学研究生和职业的学生比例很高。通过深入了解植物信号转导和花粉发育的遗传要求，这项工作最终将有助于有效地操纵植物生长，从而有利于农业生产力和植物育种。