Research Initiation Award: Establishment of Pale Yellow Golden Pothos Plant-based Transgenic System for Studying Nuclear Genes Involved in Chloroplast Biogenesis

研究启动奖(RIA)为开始建立研究计划的历史黑人学院和大学(HBCU)的初级教师提供支持，以及为需要重新指导和重新建立研究计划的职业生涯中期教师提供支持。预计该奖项有助于进一步提高教师的研究能力和效率，改善研究人员所在机构的研究和教学，并让本科生参与研究经验。北卡罗来纳中央大学(NCCU)的HBCU-UP RIA旨在建立一个实验系统，研究编码叶绿体蛋白的核基因，并通过分别共表达两个特征良好的核编码的叶绿体蛋白基因来测试其可靠性。由编码叶绿素生物合成途径中的镁原卟啉IX单甲酯环酶的EaZIP功能受损而产生的淡黄色‘Golden Pothos’植物，被可诱导启动子Alca(Alca：：EaZIP)驱动的EaZIP过度表达。RIA的总体目标是开发一种以淡黄色‘Golden Pothos’植物为基础的可诱导转基因系统来研究叶绿体生物发生。在两年的时间里，该项目支持五名生物技术本科生。该项目通过与佛罗里达大学和美国农业部(USDA)的研究人员合作，有可能对当地、地区和国家产生影响。支持和平协会和学生的机构资源也通过国立协和大学的BRITE研究所提供。例如，该项目的成果还有可能为更多的学生，特别是来自代表人数不足的少数群体的本科生提供分子生物学和基因克隆方面的生物技术方面的培训机会。此外，该项目还提高了一所历史悠久的黑人大学的研究能力和能力，并为国家建立一支多元化、高度竞争的科学劳动力队伍做出了贡献。

Research Initiation Awards (RIAs) provide support for junior faculty at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) who are starting to build a research program, as well as for mid-career faculty who need to re-direct and re-build a research program. It is expected that the award helps to further the faculty member's research capability and effectiveness, improves research and teaching at the researcher's home institution, and involves undergraduate students in research experiences.North Carolina Central University's (NCCU) HBCU-UP RIA is aimed at establishing an experimental system to study nuclear genes encoding chloroplast proteins and to test its reliability for the purpose by co-expressing two well-characterized nuclear-encoded plastid protein genes individually. Pale yellow 'Golden Pothos' plants resulting from impaired function of EaZIP, encoding the Mg-protoporphyrin IX monomethyl ester cyclase in the chlorophyll biosynthesis pathway, is used for overexpression by EaZIP driven by an inducible promoter alcA (alcA:: EaZIP). The overall goal of the RIA is to develop a pale yellow 'Golden Pothos' plant-based inducible transgenic system to study chloroplast biogenesis.During the two year duration, the project supports five undergraduate students in biotechnology. The project has the potential for local, regional and national impact through a collaboration with researchers at the University of Florida and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Institutional resources in support of the PI and students are also provided through the BRITE Institute at NCCU. The project outcome also has the potential to result in training opportunities for additional students, particularly undergraduates from underrepresented minority populations, in molecular biology and biotechnology in gene cloning, for example. In addition, the project increases research capability and capacity at a historically black university in addition to making contributions to a diverse, highly competitive, scientific workforce for the nation.