Regulation of meristem function by AIL proteins

Beth A.Krizek Proposal编号：IOS-0922367建议标题：通过AIL蛋白质调节分生组织功能该奖项由2009年美国复苏和再投资法案(公共法律111-5)资助。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。顶端分生组织是植物顶端的一组细胞，为叶片和花等侧面器官的启动提供细胞，同时保持未分化的干细胞的中心核心。顶端分生组织高度组织化，动态变化，对局部信号和植物较远部位发出的信号作出反应。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启动方面很重要。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。本项目将研究模式植物拟南芥顶端分生组织功能的激素调节。三种相关的AINTEGUMENTA类蛋白(AINTEGUMENTA-like，AIL)在介导两种植物激素(生长素和细胞分裂素)在分生组织内的拮抗行为中的作用将通过遗传、分子和活体成像的方法进行研究。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，关于这些蛋白质如何调节激素水平/反应的分子信息，以及这些蛋白质的表达和分生组织内激素梯度之间动态相互作用的时空图。由于顶端分生组织塑造了植物的整体结构，因此这项工作对提高产量的粮食和生物燃料作物的设计以及观赏植物新品种的生产具有广泛的意义。该项目将为学生、一名博士后研究员和一名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.