RESEARCH-PGR: Genomic and Synthetic Approaches Linking Auxin Signaling to Functional Domains in Maize

研究-PGR：将生长素信号传导与玉米功能域联系起来的基因组和合成方法

• 批准号: 1546873
• 负责人: Paula McSteen
• 金额: $ 364.31万
• 依托单位: University of Missouri-Columbia
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2016
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2016-09-15 至 2023-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1546873&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: RESEARCH; PGR; Genomic; Synthetic; Approaches

Imagine any characteristic of plants - from development of shoots and roots to responses to the environment and pests - and it is almost certainly shaped by the plant growth hormone, auxin. Plant cells have the ability to detect and respond to auxin. Thus, characterizing the network of molecular components that involved in detection and response will improve our understanding of the multiple auxin effects. The primary goal of this project is to identify the auxin-regulated molecular networks in corn, an economically important crop in USA. Characterizing the roles these networks play in the growth and development in the tassel and ear of corn will help devise strategies to improve yields. A team of scientists from four different American universities will carry out this work using the most modern biological techniques. This work will fundamentally change the landscape of developmental biology in corn, and will significantly accelerate the transfer of knowledge from the lab to the field. Results from this work will made publically available. The research team is strongly committed to mentoring a diverse group of future scientists and to increasing broad scientific literacy. This project will organize workshops aimed at expanding the professional skillsets of undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral trainees. Scientists from the four institutions will collaborate to develop training modules that will involve hands-on experimentation. These modules will specifically target audiences from K-12 schools, colleges, and the public at large.This project addresses a cornerstone of developmental biology: how auxin action is specified by context-specific deployment of signaling components, and in particular, how auxin controls reproductive organogenesis. Team members have amassed a wealth of genetic, genomic and molecular resources in maize to answer the question of how axillary meristems are initiated to give rise to the reproductive structures in the tassel and ear. Prior work has shown that components of the auxin signaling machinery are expressed in three functional domains within the inflorescence: the suppressed bract leaf, the boundary domain, and the axillary meristem. Connecting auxin signaling modules with tissue-level events will require a detailed understanding of which interactions occur in specific tissues and at specific times. This challenge will be met with a highly integrated approach incorporating genomic and synthetic biology tools with sophisticated informatics and data visualization. Specifically, this project will: 1) define and characterize the auxin signaling modules (receptors, repressors, transcription factors) operating within functional domains of the inflorescence; and 2) construct gene regulatory networks incorporating co-expressed genes and targets of the auxin signaling modules.

想象一下植物的任何特征-从芽和根的发育到对环境和害虫的反应-几乎可以肯定是由植物生长激素生长素塑造的。植物细胞具有检测和响应生长素的能力。因此，表征参与检测和响应的分子组分网络将提高我们对多种生长素效应的理解。本项目的主要目标是鉴定玉米中生长素调控的分子网络，玉米是美国重要的经济作物。描述这些网络在玉米雄穗和穗的生长和发育中所起的作用将有助于制定提高产量的策略。来自美国四所不同大学的科学家团队将使用最现代的生物技术进行这项工作。这项工作将从根本上改变玉米发育生物学的格局，并将大大加速知识从实验室到田间的转移。这项工作的结果将以电子方式提供。该研究团队坚定地致力于指导未来科学家的多元化群体，并提高广泛的科学素养。该项目将组织讲习班，旨在扩大本科生、研究生和博士后学员的专业技能。来自四个机构的科学家将合作开发涉及实践实验的培训模块。这些模块将专门针对K-12学校，学院和广大公众的受众。该项目解决了发育生物学的基石：生长素的作用是如何通过特定环境的信号组件的部署来指定的，特别是，生长素如何控制生殖器官发生。团队成员积累了丰富的玉米遗传、基因组和分子资源，以回答腋生分生组织如何启动以产生雄穗和穗中的生殖结构的问题。先前的工作表明，生长素信号机制的组成部分在花序内的三个功能域中表达：抑制苞片叶，边界域，和腋生分生组织。将生长素信号模块与组织水平的事件联系起来需要详细了解哪些相互作用发生在特定组织和特定时间。这一挑战将通过高度集成的方法来应对，该方法将基因组和合成生物学工具与复杂的信息学和数据可视化相结合。具体而言，本项目将：1）定义和表征在花序功能域中操作的生长素信号模块（受体，阻遏物，转录因子）; 2）构建基因调控网络，将共表达的基因和生长素信号模块的靶标结合起来。