EAGER: Improvement of Ammonia and Nitrogen Dioxide Uptake and Utilization in Crops

主持人：Yona Baguma（乌干达国家农业研究组织）和Henry Wagaba（乌干达国家作物资源研究所）。人为排放气态氮(N)已成为一个全球性的严重问题。虽然对暴露于污染气体中的植物的生理和生长的改变了解很多，但这些研究大多是从生态学角度观察的，并没有解决使用气态氮来促进植物生长的可能性。如果成功，这个EAGER项目将利用和利用已知的土壤氮吸收和运输的分子机制来促进空气中氮的这些过程。这项探索性和高风险研究产生的结果也可能为其他物种和其他重要气体污染物的氮利用指明类似的策略。该项目将促进美国和非洲在分子植物生理学领域的知识和技术交流，以制定在木薯、水稻和马铃薯等重要作物物种中利用“污染物”的新策略。某些空气污染物，包括氨和二氧化氮，被叶子吸收，是植物生长所需氮(N)的潜在来源。然而，植物并没有进化到能够从空气中吸收这些化合物，即使这些营养物质被吸收了，它们也可能不能被正确地利用。事实上，主要是由生态生理学家和森林生物学家注意到，在某些条件下，这些空中营养物质会刺激嫩芽的生长。然而，新形成的有机化合物并没有被运送出叶片，这不仅隔绝了吸收的氮，还隔绝了光合作用产生的大部分碳(C)。因此，根系生长受到抑制，使植物容易受到干旱和其他压力的影响。此外，农作物的可食用部分，包括块茎，如果它们停滞在叶子中，就不能从营养中受益。为了应对这一挑战，这个EAGER项目将开发和测试新的分子策略，利用在拟南芥等模式植物中鉴定的候选基因，增加马铃薯、木薯和水稻对航空衍生氮化合物的吸收和运输。在这个项目中开发的所有数据和资源将向公众开放。DNA序列将存入基因库。

PI: Cankui Zhang (Purdue University)CoPIs: Yona Baguma (National Agricultural Research Organization, Uganda) and Henry Wagaba (National Crops Resources Research Institute, Uganda)Anthropogenic emissions of gaseous nitrogen (N) have become a severe problem worldwide. Although much is known about the alteration of physiology and growth of plants exposed to pollutant gases, most of these studies are observational, from an ecological perspective, and do not address the possibility of using gaseous nitrogen to augment plant growth. If successful, this EAGER project will harness and exploit known molecular mechanisms of uptake and transport of soil N to facilitate these processes for airborne N. The results generated from this exploratory and high risk research may also point the way to similar strategies for N use in other species and for other important gaseous pollutants. This project will foster intellectual and technical exchange in U.S. and Africa in the area of molecular plant physiology to develop novel strategies for "pollutant" utilization in important crop species such as cassava, rice and potato. Certain air pollutants, including ammonia and nitrogen dioxide, are absorbed by leaves and are potential sources of nitrogen (N) needed for plant growth. However, plants did not evolve to take up these compounds from the air, and even if the nutrients are absorbed they may not be utilized correctly. Indeed, it has been noted primarily by ecophysiologists and forest biologists that these aerial nutrients stimulate shoot growth under certain conditions. However, it is also the case that the newly formed organic compounds are not transported out of the leaves, sequestering not only the absorbed N, but much of the carbon (C) derived from photosynthesis. As a result, root growth is inhibited, leaving the plants susceptible to drought and other stresses. In addition, the edible parts of crop plants, including tubers, do not benefit from nutrients if they stagnate in the leaves. To address this challenge, this EAGER project will develop and test novel molecular strategies for increasing the absorption and transport of aerial-derived nitrogenous compounds in potato, cassava and rice using select candidate genes identified in model plants such as Arabidopsis. All data and resources developed in this project will be available to the public. DNA sequences will be deposited at GenBank.