IOS Proposal: RUI: Auxin dynamics during vascular development in the model woody plant Populus

木本植物是能源和建筑材料的重要来源，在固碳、水文循环和生境组合中发挥着重要作用。尽管木本植物提供了许多服务，但很少有人知道木本茎是如何发育的，以及茎的较老的木质部分和较年轻的非木质生长之间的维管连接是如何形成的。本项目的主要目的是确定植物激素生长素的运动如何控制木本植物中的模式物种白杨（Populus tremula x alba）的维管发育。通过使用化学分析，遗传修饰和显微镜的组合，生长素的运动将被跟踪从年轻的发育叶片到下面的木质茎，并与静脉形成的时间过程有关。生长素的运动也将被中断与化学抑制剂，以确定生长素运输对木材结构的影响。这项工作有望阐明脉管系统-为叶子提供水分并将糖分配到植物其余部分的静脉网络-是如何在木本植物中建立的，以及激素生长素如何决定茎的重要物理特性。特别地，液体渗透性对于植物材料（例如，木材）以及植物存活，并在维管发育过程中决定，这是一个可以通过生长素流动调节的过程。该项目还为对科学感兴趣的本科生提供了多个培训机会，包括学年期间和暑期实习。预计该项目将鼓励十名或更多的本科生从事与植物生物学相关的科学事业，包括林业，碳循环和生物燃料新原材料的开发。

Woody plants provide critical sources of energy and building materials and play important roles in carbon sequestration, hydrologic cycles, and habitat assemblies. Despite the many services provided by woody plants, very little is known about how woody stems develop and how vascular connections are formed between the older woody portions of a stem and the younger, non-woody growth. The main objective of this project is to determine how movement of the plant hormone auxin controls vascular development in a woody plant using the model species Populus tremula x alba. By using a combination of chemical analyses, genetic modification and microscopy, the movement of auxin will be tracked from the young developing leaves to the woody stem below and related to the time course of vein formation. The movement of auxin will also be disrupted with chemical inhibitors in order to determine the effects of auxin transport on wood structure. This work is expected to shed light on how the vasculature -- the network of veins that supply leaves with water and distribute sugars to the rest of the plant -- is established in woody plants and how the hormone auxin determines important physical properties of the stem. In particular, liquid permeability is important for improved utilization of plant materials (e.g., wood) as well as plant survival and is determined during vascular development, a process that may be regulated by auxin flow. This project also provides multiple training opportunities for undergraduates interested the sciences both during the academic year and through summer internships. It is expected that this project will encourage ten or more undergraduates to pursue careers in science related to plant biology including forestry, carbon cycling and the development of new raw materials for biofuels.