Dynamics of gene expression during vegetative phase change in maize

开花植物的生命周期具有明显的、可识别的阶段：胚胎发生、种子休眠、营养生长和开花，这将产生下一代。从营养生长到开花的转变只能发生在成体植物中：处于早期幼体阶段的植物不能对诱导开花的信号做出反应。从幼体到成体的转变很重要，不仅因为它允许植物繁殖，结出果实和种子，还因为在许多物种中，与成体阶段相比，植物处于幼体时叶片和其他营养器官的发育不同。在玉米(或玉米)中，幼叶和成叶的一个显著差异是木质素的水平，木质素可以干扰纤维素乙醇的生产。这个项目将使用一种独特的技术来研究玉米的营养阶段变化，在这种技术中，成年植物可以恢复活力。这项技术将允许识别控制特定阶段发育模式的基因，最终目的是了解发育状态是如何通过分化细胞来解释和表达的。基因芯片将被用来比较发育中的幼叶、过渡叶和成年玉米叶片的基因表达模式，每个叶片处于几个不同的发育阶段，以描绘叶片分化特定阶段模式下的基因表达的完整图景。随后，将研究选定基因在正常植物中的表达模式，以及在相变突变体和复壮植物中的表达模式，以阐明调控美国一种重要农作物营养相变的遗传网络。研究人员将继续努力，将女性和代表性不足的少数群体纳入植物发育生物学的研究。

The life cycle of flowering plants features distinct, recognizable phases: embryogenesis, seed dormancy, vegetative growth, and flowering, which gives rise to the next generation. The transition from vegetative growth to flowering can only occur in plants that are adults: plants in the earlier, juvenile phase are incapable of responding to flower-inducing signals. The transition from juvenile to adult is important not only because it allows the plant to become reproductive, producing fruits and seeds, but also because in many species the leaves and other vegetative organs develop differently while the plant is a juvenile compared to those formed during the adult phase. In maize (or corn), a prominent difference between juvenile and adult leaves is in the levels of lignin, which can interfere with cellulosic ethanol production. This project will examine vegetative phase change in maize using a unique technology in which adult plants can be rejuvenated. This technology will allow for the identification of genes that control phase-specific patterns of development, with the ultimate goal of understanding how developmental state is interpreted and expressed by differentiating cells. Microarrays will be employed to compare patterns of gene expression in developing juvenile, transition, and adult maize leaves, each at several different developmental stages, to paint a complete picture of gene expression underlying phase-specific patterns of leaf differentiation. Subsequently, patterns of expression of selected genes will be examined in normal plants and also in both phase change mutants and in rejuvenated plants to elucidate the genetic networks that regulate vegetative phase change in an important crop plant in the US. The investigators will continue their efforts to include females and underrepresented minorities in research in plant developmental biology.