Collaborative Research: Genetic and Biochemical Dissection of Plant Sulfate Transceptor

目标是了解植物如何感觉到它们相对于常量营养素硫的营养状况(S)。植物能够根据土壤中可获得的矿物质营养水平来调整自己的生长和生理。当营养水平低时，它们在养分利用方面变得更有效率。人们对植物是如何感知营养的知之甚少，甚至连到底感受到了什么也知之甚少。目前的项目可能为提高养分利用效率奠定基础，从而降低农业中使用化肥的投入成本和环境影响。正向遗传方法已被用于在模式植物拟南芥中鉴定与S感应相关的基因。该项目将使用遗传和分子方法来了解传感器是如何工作的。所学到的将不仅是植物S-营养学领域的突破，也将是更大范围的营养受体领域的突破。这些活动的结果将在专题讨论会、会议和期刊出版物上传播。该项目产生的遗传资源将提供给研究界。这是两个机构-纽约市立大学雷曼学院、联邦指定的西班牙裔机构和罗格斯大学-合作的项目。该项目将通过一个积极的交流计划，招募少数族裔本科生和高中教师参与这两个机构的研究。其目的是利用一个具有挑衅性的研究项目，激发少数族裔学生追求植物生物学职业的兴趣，并增强美国在科学方面的竞争力。

The goal is to understand how plants sense their nutritional status with respect to the macronutrient sulfur (S). Plants are able to adjust their growth and physiology in response to the level of mineral nutrients available to them in soil. When nutrient level is low they become more efficient at nutrient utilization. Very little is known about how plants sense nutrients or even what exactly is sensed. The current project could set the stage for improving nutrient use efficiency thereby reducing the input costs and environmental impact associated with the use of fertilizers in agriculture.A forward genetic approach has been used to identify a gene that is involved in S-sensing in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. The project will use both genetic and molecular approaches to understand how the sensor functions. What is learned will be a breakthrough not only for the field of plant S-nutrition, but also for the larger field of nutrient receptors. The results from these activities will be disseminated at symposia, conferences and in journal publications. The genetic resources generated by the project will be made available to the research community.This is a collaborative project between two institutions, Lehman College of the City University of New York, a federally designated Hispanic Institution, and Rutgers University. The project will recruit minority undergraduate students and high school teachers to participate in research at both institutions through an active exchange program. The aim is to use a provocative research project to stimulate the interest of students from minority groups to pursue careers in plant biology and to enhance the US competitiveness in science.