G-protein Regulation of Phenylalanine Synthesis

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。科学价值：幼苗对环境中存在的非生物胁迫（如热、紫外线、盐等）几乎没有或根本没有保护。控制对特定应力的耐受性的传感机制的初始组成部分仍然未知。因此，了解环境胁迫如何激活幼苗内的信号转导系统是很重要的。该项目将研究产生氨基酸苯丙氨酸的信号转导系统。苯丙氨酸反过来又作为许多化合物的前体，这些化合物在保护植物免受环境胁迫方面发挥着作用。这种信号转导系统似乎与几种已知的植物激素协同作用，这些激素在植物如何应对环境胁迫中起作用。该研究将以拟南芥为对象进行，拟南芥是一种模式植物生物，可以详细研究导致氨基酸苯丙氨酸合成的信号通路的每一步。更广泛的影响。剖析和理解一个简单的压力诱导的信号通路允许本科生作为研究人员和论文作者的参与。了解幼小植物中的这个基本“压力盒”将使研究人员能够评估许多压力，包括它们的信号通路，它们与已知的压力报告的植物激素的关系，以及它们指导植物产生的特定化合物。这是一个重要的更广泛的影响，因为世界上大部分作物损失都是由播种后头两周内产生的压力造成的。城市和农村的可用耕地都在减少，环境压力比以往任何时候都大。了解如何感知压力与作物育种、作物生产力、牧场管理和更健康食品的传播有关。

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).Scientific Merit: Seedlings have little or no protection against non-biotic stresses present in the environment (i.e. heat, ultraviolet sunlight [UV], salt, etc). The initial components of the sensing mechanisms that control tolerance to specific stresses remain unknown. It is therefore important to develop an understanding of how signal transduction systems within the seedling are activated by environmental stresses. The project will study the signal transduction system(s) that operates to produce the amino acid phenylalanine. Phenylalanine in turn serves as the precursor to many compounds that have a role in protecting plants against environmental stress. This signal transduction system appears to act in concert with several plant hormones known to have a role in how plants respond to environmental stress. The research will be conducted using Arabidopsis, a model plant organism, wherein each step of the signaling pathway that leads to the synthesis of the amino acid phenylalanine can be studied in detail. Broader Impact. Dissecting and understanding a simple stress-induced signaling pathway allows for the participation of undergraduate students as researchers and as authors on publications. Understanding this basic "stress cassette" in a young plant will allow researchers to evaluate many stresses with respect to their signaling pathways, their relationship to known stress-reported plant hormones and the specific compounds they direct the plant to produce. This is an important broader impact as much of crop loss worldwide arises from stresses incurred within the first two weeks after seeds are planted. The available arable land, both urban and rural, is decreasing, and the levels of environmental stressors are greater than ever before. Understanding how stresses are perceived is relevant for crop breeding, crop productivity, range management and the propagation of healthier foodstuffs.