Plant Cell Communication and Inositol Trisphosphates

所有生物都需要对环境做出反应的能力，以适应和生存。为了实现理解植物感知和响应环境的机制的长期目标，将检查来自模式植物拟南芥的一组基因和酶。这些基因参与调节植物中的信号转导，其功能是分解信号传导过程中使用的化学信使。将确定这些基因表达的空间模式，以及植物细胞内编码酶的位置。这些基因中的一组遗传突变体已被确定，并将检查改变的反应和信号分子的动态变化。最后，含有这些酶的蛋白质复合物将被分离和表征。这项工作除了为一般科学知识作出贡献外，还将把研究纳入涉及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计划参与，该计划利用植物突变体作为高中阶段学生发起实验的起点。 在夏季主办一名高中教师进行研究，将加强中学和大学一级活动之间的沟通。

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.