The Regulation of Ethylene Biosynthesis

智力优势：气态植物激素乙烯对植物的生长和发育有深远的影响。这种激素的生物合成受到许多其他激素、发育和环境信号的影响，因此在调节植物生长和发育方面起着重要的串扰作用。本项目将探索模式植物拟南芥中乙烯生物合成的调控机制。以前的研究表明，ACC合成酶稳定性的调节是控制乙烯产量的关键因素，ACC合成酶是乙烯产生的关键酶。该奖项支持的研究将以这些发现为基础，通过表征拟南芥不同ACC合成酶蛋白质的半衰期来确定每种蛋白质的翻转速度，以及不同亚型配对在一起如何影响它们的周转。还将研究其他激素如何相互作用来调节这些不同的ACS蛋白的稳定性。这将有助于理解这些不同的信号通路如何影响乙烯的产生。最后一个目的是研究以前被确定为与ACC合成酶相互作用的蛋白质的作用，重点是这些蛋白质如何进一步调节ACC合成酶的功能。更广泛的影响：这项研究的结果将使人们更深入地了解乙烯生物合成的调节，这可能导致在农业环境中操纵这种激素的生产，从而提高各种农产品的质量和寿命。此外，蛋白质周转的调节已成为各种生物过程的核心机制，该项目将阐明这一基本过程。这些研究将通过为本科生、研究生和博士后研究人员提供实践培训来加强研究和教育的基础设施。PI与旨在扩大对科学的参与的项目有联系。此外，研究生还参与为6-8年级学生举办的科学夏令营活动，为他们提供与植物和乙烯有关的科学实验。

Intellectual merit:The gaseous phytohormone ethylene has profound effects on plant growth and development. The biosynthesis of this hormone is influenced by many other hormonal, developmental, and environmental signals, and as such acts as an important point of crosstalk in regulating plant growth and development. This project will explore the mechanisms regulating ethylene biosynthesis in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. Previous studies have shown that the regulation of the stability of ACC synthase, a key enzyme in the production of ethylene, is the critical factor controlling how much ethylene plants make. The research supported by this award will build on these findings by charactering the half-lives of different ACC synthase proteins from Arabidopsis to determine how rapidly each is turned-over and how pairing different isoforms together affects their turnover. How other hormones interact to regulate the stability of these different ACS proteins will also be studied. This will help understand how these various signaling pathways influence the production of ethylene. A final aim is to examine the role of proteins that were previously identified as interacting with ACC synthase, with a focus on how these proteins may further regulate the function of ACC synthase. Broader impacts:Results from this research will lead to a deeper understanding of the regulation of ethylene biosynthesis, which may lead to the ability to manipulate the production of this hormone in agricultural settings and hence an improvement in the quality and longevity of various agricultural products. Furthermore, the regulation of protein turnover has emerged as a central mechanism underlying a variety of biological process, and this project will shed light on this fundamental process. These studies will enhance the infrastructure of research and education by providing hands-on training for undergraduate students, graduate students, and post-doctoral researchers. The PI has connections with programs aimed at broadening participation in science. In addition, graduate students are also involved in summer science camp activities for 6-8th graders, providing them hands on science experiments related to plants and ethylene.