Metal ion partitioning via the Yellow Stripe-Like (YSL) family of transporters

该奖项是根据2009年美国复苏和再投资法案（公法111-5）资助的。该项目的目标是加强对植物获取并维持正确水平的铁和其他金属营养素的机制的理解。目前，人们对参与金属大规模运动的分子知之甚少，例如，从根到叶，或从叶和根到种子。缺乏对植物铁运动机制的了解，这是设计主食生物强化方法的主要障碍。生物强化是指对作物进行改造，使其可食用部分积累额外的铁；它被广泛认为是改善全球20 - 30亿人铁营养的可持续手段，这些人的饮食不足导致缺铁性贫血。如果我们希望改善边缘土壤中作物的生长，提高我们对植物铁稳态机制的理解也至关重要，因为缺铁经常限制作物生长。研究人员对黄色条纹样蛋白（YSL）家族的研究主要集中在这些大规模的、完整的植物过程上：YSL转运蛋白是营养和生殖组织中铁、锌和铜的正常运动所必需的。通过分析缺乏一个或多个YSL基因的突变植物，研究人员将阐明介导金属在植物中大规模运动的关键YSL基因。通过分析突变植物的全局基因表达，研究人员将发现参与植物铁稳态的新基因和基因网络。研究人员还将开发更可靠和直接的分析方法，以表征YSL转运蛋白的运输活动。本项目将为本科生参与本研究项目提供大量有意义的机会（三年期间至少60个），此外，还将教育和培养一名博士生和两名博士后。

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).The goal of this project is an enhanced understanding of the mechanisms by which plants acquire and then maintain the correct levels of iron and other metal nutrients. Currently, little is known about molecules involved in the movement of metals on a large scale, for example, from roots to leaves, or from leaves and roots into seeds. Knowledge of the mechanisms involved in plant iron movement is lacking, presenting a major obstacle to devising approaches for biofortification of staple foods. Biofortification refers to the modification of crops to accumulate additional iron in edible parts; it is widely regarded as a sustainable means of improving the iron nutrition of the 2-3 billion people worldwide whose inadequate diet causes iron deficiency anemia. Improving our understanding of plant iron homeostatic mechanisms is also critical if we wish to improve growth of crops in marginal soils, where iron deficiency frequently limits crop growth. The investigators' work on the Yellow Stripe-Like (YSL) family of proteins is focused on these large scale, whole plant processes: YSL transporters are required for normal movement of iron, zinc, and copper in both vegetative and reproductive tissues.By analyzing mutant plants that lack one or more YSL genes, the investigators will elucidate the key YSL genes that mediate large scale movements of metals in plants. By analyzing global gene expression in mutant plants, the investigators will identify novel genes and gene networks that are involved in plant Fe homeostasis. The investigators will also develop more reliable and straightforward assays that characterize the transport activities of the YSL transporters. This project will provide numerous (at least 60 over the three year duration of the project) meaningful opportunities for undergraduate participation in this research program, and in addition, will educate and train a PhD student and two postdoctoral students.