ER stress transducing transcription factors in plants

斯蒂芬⋅Howell提案编号IOS-0919707植物中的ER胁迫转导转录因子植物的胁迫耐受性是一个非常有价值的性状，因为在各种环境条件下，特别是那些因气候变化而加剧的环境条件下，生产粮食和燃料作物的需求。 该项目的目标是更好地了解植物感知不利环境条件的机制，以及它们如何保护自己免受这些条件造成的压力。 这个项目将集中在两个被称为转录因子的因子上，这两个因子“打开”了应激反应基因的表达。 这些转录因子是不寻常的，因为它们在正常条件下是“休眠”的，并附着在植物细胞的细胞质中的膜上，但在胁迫条件下被激活并从膜释放并进入细胞核。 这两种转录因子被不同的压力激活--一种是热，另一种是盐--每一种都开启一组不同的基因。 研究人员将确定这些因子是如何被激活的，它们如何区分不同的压力，以及它们如何从细胞的一个隔室转移到另一个隔室。 这些因子开启不同的基因组，因此研究人员还将研究这些因子如何选择性地激活不同的靶基因。 该系统代表了植物中新发现的胁迫反应途径，并具有操纵植物以获得更大的胁迫耐受性的前景。 该项目还将提供机会，培训乔治华盛顿卡弗实习生在该地区的植物应力研究。

Stephen H. HowellProposal number IOS-0919707ER stress transducing transcription factors in plantsPlant stress tolerance is a highly valued trait given the demands for producing crops for food and fuel under all kinds of environmental conditions, particularly those exacerbated by climate change. The goal of this project is to better understand the mechanism by which plants perceive adverse environmental conditions and how they protect themselves from the stress caused by these conditions. This project will focus on two factors called transcription factors that "turn on" the expression of stress response genes. These transcription factors are unusual in that they are "dormant" and attached to membranes in the cytoplasm of plant cells under normal conditions, but are activated and released from the membranes and enter the nucleus under stress conditions. The two transcription factors are activated by different stresses -- one by heat and the other by salt stress -- and each turns on a different set of genes. The investigators will determine how the factors are activated, how they distinguish different stresses and how they are relocated from one compartment of the cell to another. The factors turn on different sets of genes, and so the investigators will also examine how the factors selectively activate different target genes. This system represents a newly discovered stress response pathway in plants and has prospects for manipulating plants to achieve greater stress tolerance. The project will also provide the opportunity to train George Washington Carver interns in the area of plant stress research.