International Research Fellowship Program: Mechanisms of Sclerenchyma Cell Secondary Wall Development in Brachypodium

1002683哈林顿国际研究奖学金计划使美国科学家和工程师能够在国外进行9至24个月的研究。该计划的奖项提供了联合研究的机会，并利用国外独特或互补的设施、专业知识和实验条件。该奖项将支持Michael Harrington博士与法国National de la Recherche农业生物学细胞研究所Herman Hofte博士为期24个月的研究奖学金。世界范围内，对非食用植物生物质制成的可再生能源的需求正在增加。植物生物量(或木质纤维素？)SERS是目前生物质原料如玉米和甘蔗的一种有吸引力的替代品，存在于植物细胞壁中。大多数植物的细胞壁是由富含能量的多糖聚合物组成的，这些聚合物可以被分解(糖化)。生产许多基于生物的产品(如生物塑料、纺织纤维)和生物乙醇。有趣的是，人们对细胞壁合成的机制知之甚少。本研究的目的是利用Brachypodium disachyon(一种生物质原料模型)来了解厚壁组织细胞次生细胞壁发育的细胞和分子机制。厚壁组织细胞由厚的次生壁组成，提供了用于生物燃料生产和生物基材料的大部分生物质。该项目涉及使用各种分子工具来描述厚壁组织细胞形成的特征，以生成这一过程的发展3D重建。此外，从激光捕获显微切割、转录学到用于基因表达和功能研究的细胞壁成分分析，人们正在使用各种物理和化学工具来鉴定厚壁组织细胞分化和成熟的分子调控因子(即转录因子或/和加工酶)。最终，这项工作提高了我们对次生细胞壁合成的了解，同时确定了这一过程的调节因素，以改善生物质糖化作用。相反，这项工作通过创造一种专门的生物质作物来解决对可持续能源、纤维和化学品的担忧。

1002683HarringtonThe International Research Fellowship Program enables U.S. scientists and engineers to conduct nine to twenty-four months of research abroad. The program's awards provide opportunities for joint research, and the use of unique or complementary facilities, expertise and experimental conditions abroad.This award will support a twenty-four-month research fellowship by Dr. Michael Harrington to work with Dr. Herman Hofte at Institute National de la Recherche Agronomique Biologie Cellulaire in France.Worldwide the demand for renewable energy made from non-food plant biomass is increasing. Plant biomass (or ?lignocellulose?) serves is an attractive alternative to the current biomass feedstocks, i.e., corn and sugar cane, and is found in plant cell walls. Cell walls of most plants are composed of energy-rich polysaccharide polymers that can be broken down (?saccharification?) to produce many bio-based products (e.g., bioplastics, fibers for textile) and bioethanol. Interestingly, little is known about the mechanisms underlying cell wall synthesis. The goal of this research is to understand both the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying secondary cell wall development of sclerenchyma cells using Brachypodium distachyon, a model for biomass feedstocks. Sclerenchyma cells are composed of thick secondary walls, providing much of the biomass used for biofuel production and bio-based materials. This project involves the characterization of sclerenchyma cell formation using a variety of molecular tools to generate a developmental 3D reconstruction of this process. Moreover, the molecular regulators (i.e., transcription factors or/and processing enzymes) of sclerenchyma cell differentiation and maturation are being identified using a variety of physical and chemical tools, from laser capture microdissection, transcriptomics, to cell wall composition analysis assays for gene expression and function studies. Ultimately, this work is improving our knowledge of secondary cell wall synthesis while identifying the regulators of this process to improve biomass saccharification. Conversely, this work addresses concerns for sustainable sources of energy, fibers, and chemicals by creating a dedicated biomass crop.