Regulation of meristem function by AIL proteins

提案编号：ios -0922367提案标题：AIL蛋白对分生组织功能的调控本奖项是根据2009年美国复苏和再投资法案（公法111-5）资助的。植物在其整个生命周期中启动器官的独特能力源于分生组织的活动。茎尖分生组织是植物顶端的一组细胞，为叶和花等侧面器官的形成提供细胞，同时保持未分化的干细胞的中心核心。茎尖分生组织是高度有组织的，并且是动态的，响应本地信号和来自植物较远部分的信号。分生组织内植物激素的梯度似乎在平衡干细胞更新和器官起始方面很重要。但目前尚不清楚这些激素梯度是如何产生的，以及它们是如何转化为不同的细胞行为的。本课题将研究模式植物拟南芥茎尖分生组织功能的激素调控。三种相关aintegumenta样（AIL）蛋白在分生组织中介导两种植物激素（生长素和细胞分裂素）拮抗行为中的作用将通过遗传、分子和实时成像方法进行研究。这项工作的预期结果是将这些AIL基因整合到分生组织功能的遗传框架中，了解这些蛋白质如何调节激素水平/反应性的分子信息，以及分生组织中这些蛋白质表达与激素梯度之间动态相互作用的时空图。由于茎尖分生组织决定了植物的整体结构，因此这项工作对设计产量更高的粮食和生物燃料作物以及培育观赏植物新品种具有广泛的意义。该项目将为学生、一名博士后和一名K-12教师提供培训机会。

Beth A. KrizekProposal Number: IOS-0922367Proposal Title: Regulation of meristem function by AIL proteinsThis award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).The unique ability of plants to initiate organs throughout their lifespan results from the activity of meristems. The shoot apical meristem, a group of cells at the apex of the plant, provides cells for the initiation of lateral organs such as leaves and flowers while maintaining a central core of stem cells that remain undifferentiated. The shoot apical meristem is highly organized and yet dynamic, responding to local signals and those originating from more distant parts of the plant. Gradients of plant hormones within the meristem appear to be important in balancing stem cell renewal with organ initiation. But it is not clear how these hormone gradients are generated and how they are translated into different cellular behaviors. This project will investigate the hormonal regulation of shoot apical meristem function in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. The role of three related AINTEGUMENTA-like (AIL) proteins in mediating the antagonistic behavior of two plant hormones (auxin and cytokinin) within the meristem will be investigated by genetic, molecular and live imaging approaches. The expected results from this work are an integration of these AIL genes into a genetic framework for meristem function, molecular information on how these proteins regulate hormone levels/responsiveness, and a spatiotemporal map of the dynamic interactions between the expression of these proteins and hormone gradients within the meristem. Because the shoot apical meristem shapes the overall architecture of plants, this work has broad implication for the design of food and biofuel crops with improved yields and the production of new varieties of ornamental plants. The project will provide training opportunities for students, a postdoctoral fellow and a K-12 teacher.