Mechanisms of Transport Through Plasmodesmata

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Living organisms are made up of smaller units called cells, and these cells need to communicate with each other to coordinate how they grow and develop. Plants have evolved a way to communicate by making tiny channels to connect their cells. Many different types of molecules pass through these channels to feed growing tissues and to instruct the plant how to grow. This project aims to understand how the passage of signals through the channels is controlled, by studying a newly discovered factor that controls this process. It will also screen for new factors that influence the way in which the channels instruct the growth of special types of cells called stem cells that are essential for plant growth. These studies have the potential to make significant improvements to agricultural productivity, and to limit the spread of plant diseases, which sometimes use the channels to spread through the plant. In addition to the scientific and technological advances detailed above, this project will train young scientists at various levels, as well as developing resources to involve high school students in cutting edge biology research. The PI directs the Partners For the Future Program at CSHL, which immerses local high school students in active research at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. He will also develop an educational exchange with an all-female minority serving high school in Brooklyn, New York. This activity will expose the excitement and applications of molecular biology to students who otherwise have little exposure to scientific research.Plasmodesmata are microscopic channels that connect plant cells to integrate growth, development and nutrient availability, providing organism wide connectivity. Plant development relies on pluripotent stem cells in specialized niches called meristems, and the movement, or "trafficking", of homeodomain transcription factors through plasmodesmata is required to maintain the stem cells. This research will develop and adapt state of the art methods in protein-RNA interactions, RNA localization and proteomic analyses to study a newly identified RNA binding protein that is required for trafficking of stem cell regulatory proteins. It will also test the hypothesis that the newly identified protein interacts in a protein-mRNA complex to facilitate passage of transcription factors through the plasmodesmata. In an independent approach, the research will also use a proteomic screen to identify new factors that control PD trafficking. Movement of protein and RNA signals in plants is critical for their development, as well as how plants respond to the environment. The results of this project could therefore allow the manipulation of plants to improve agricultural productivity. The project will also integrate training of junior scientists, including minority high school students, in molecular genetics research.This award was co-funded by the Physiological Mechanisms and Biomechanics Program in the Division of Integrative Organismal Systems and the Cellular Dynamics and Function Cluster in the Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.