Plant Cell Communication and Inositol Trisphosphates

所有的有机体都需要对环境做出反应的能力，才能适应和生存。为了实现了解植物感知和响应环境的机制这一长期目标，我们将研究模式植物拟南芥的一组基因和酶。这些基因通过分解信号传递过程中使用的化学信使参与调节植物的信号转导。这些基因表达的空间模式将被确定，以及编码的酶在植物细胞中的位置。这些基因中的一组遗传突变已经被识别出来，并将被检查是否有改变的反应和信号分子的动态变化。最后，对含有这些酶的蛋白质复合体进行分离和鉴定。除了对一般科学知识做出贡献外，这项工作还将把研究纳入中学生及其教师以及本科生和研究生的活动中。中学生将通过一个独特的项目参与进来，该项目利用植物突变作为学生在高中水平上发起实验的起点。暑期主办一位高中教师进行调研，将加强中学和大学之间的沟通活动。

All organisms require the ability to respond to their environment in order to adapt and survive. To accomplish the long-term objective of understanding the mechanisms by which plants sense and respond to the environment, a group of genes and enzymes from the model plant, Arabidopsis thaliana, will be examined. These genes are involved in regulating signal transduction in plants by functioning to break down the chemical messengers that are used during signaling. The spatial patterns of expression of these genes will be determined, as well as the location of the encoded enzymes within plant cells. A set of genetic mutants in these genes has been identified and will be examined for altered responses and for dynamic changes in signaling molecules. Lastly, protein complexes containing these enzymes will be isolated and characterized. Besides contributing to the general body of scientific knowledge, this work will integrate the research into activities involving secondary school students and their teachers, as well as undergraduate and graduate students. Secondary school students will be engaged via a unique program that utilizes plant mutants as a starting point for student-initiated experimentation at the high school level. The hosting of a high school teacher in the summer to perform research will enhance the communication between the secondary and college level activities.