Constructing Plant Cuticle Barriers: from molecular architecture to mechanical integrity

陆生植物通过组装在表皮或周皮细胞壁内的不溶性疏水分子调节它们与环境的相互作用：角质、木栓质和蜡，它们共享一些构建块和形成途径。为了了解这些基本保护膜的大分子结构和机械性能，将以基因沉默的番茄果实和马铃薯块茎以及几种模式植物的叶子为研究对象。 生物物理测量的协调协议将联系植物覆盖物的生物合成与它们的分子结构和宏观属性，如机械完整性和环境持久性。该项目可以提高粮食作物产量和植物废弃物的回收利用，还可以帮助油漆、纺织品和涂料的设计。跨学科的培训团队跨越高中到博士后水平将进行这项研究，这也将形成一个本科实验室课程的基础上，为非科学家。该计划的长期目标是将目前的现象学保护植物cured和periderms到一个全面的预测计划的多功能的疏水膜的屏障功能。除了与粮食作物保护和植物废弃物回收有关的好处外，该项目的成果还可以为超疏水涂料、纺织品和涂料的设计提供信息。最近在遗传，分析和生物力学技术的改进，使人们有可能实现的理解植物表皮结构，跨越长度尺度从分子到宏观，从生物合成到生物降解的发展，在表面或散装机械完整性。本项目将研究具有已知基因组的番茄（Solanum lycopersicum）和马铃薯（Solanum tuberosum）植物的表皮和外表皮的生物合成、大分子组织和机械性能。作为补充，抗化学降解和调节植物表皮功能的聚合物将在结构上进行鉴定。具体的假设将进行测试，以解决几个问题：两个水果角质合成酶的特异性;基因沉默的马铃薯块茎periderms的代谢改道;栓化马铃薯细胞壁的大分子组织; nanomechanics和抗拉强度的cudenium和periderms，分别;环境持久性的cutins和木栓质。

Terrestrial plants regulate their interactions with the environment via insoluble hydrophobic molecules assembled within epidermal or peridermal cell walls: cutins, suberins, and waxes that share some building blocks and formation pathways. To understand the macromolecular structure and mechanical performance of these essential protective membranes, gene-silenced tomato fruits and potato tubers as well as leaves from several model plants will be targeted for study. A coordinated protocol of biophysical measurements will link the biosynthesis of plant coverings with their molecular architectures and macroscopic attributes such as mechanical integrity and environmental persistence. The project can benefit food crop yields and recycling of plant litter, also aiding the design of paints, textiles, and coatings. Interdisciplinary training teams spanning high school through postdoctoral levels will conduct this research, which will also form the basis of an undergraduate laboratory curriculum for non-scientists.The long-term objective of this program is to transform the current phenomenology of protective plant cuticles and periderms into a comprehensive predictive scheme for the versatile barrier functions of hydrophobic membranes. In addition to benefits related to food crop protection and plant litter recycling, the project outcomes can inform the design of superhydrophobic paints, textiles, and coatings. Recent improvements in genetic, analytical, and biomechanical technologies are making it possible to achieve an understanding of plant cuticular architecture that spans length scales from molecular to macroscopic, development from biosynthesis to biodegradation, and mechanical integrity at the surface or in bulk. This project will examine the biosynthesis, macromolecular organization, and mechanical performance of cuticles and periderms from tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) and potato (Solanum tuberosum) plants with known genomes. As a complement, the polymers that resist chemical degradation and modulate plant cuticular function will be identified structurally. Specific hypotheses will be tested to address several issues: specificity of two fruit cutin synthase enzymes; metabolic rerouting of gene-silenced potato tuber periderms; macromolecular organization of suberized potato cell walls; nanomechanics and tensile strength of cuticles and periderms, respectively; environmental persistence of cutins and suberins.