A Molecular Role for Plant LINC complexes in Pollen Tube and Guard Cell Function.

该项目探索了一类新的植物蛋白质的功能，这些蛋白质位于植物细胞核的外围-遗传信息的中心。这些神秘的蛋白质复合物将细胞核内部连接到细胞质（细胞质是细胞核周围的部分），并且对许多植物功能很重要。本项目将探讨两个功能。首先，它们在花粉管中的作用，这对开花植物的受精和种子生产（谷物产量）至关重要。第二，保卫细胞，控制植物叶片中气孔（气孔）的打开和关闭的细胞，这些细胞调节二氧化碳从空气进入植物的运动，以及水分（作为蒸汽）从植物叶片进入空气的损失。在干旱、极端气温和地球大气中二氧化碳含量上升等气候事件日益频繁的情况下，从空气中吸收二氧化碳和植物失水具有更重要的意义。除了培养博士后科学家，研究生和本科生，在细胞和分子生物学，该项目将启动和发展一个涉及艺术的外联项目，以可视化的研究方面，并将其呈现给更广泛的公众。植物特异性外核被膜蛋白（KASH蛋白）是核骨架和细胞骨架（LINC）复合物的连接器的动物KASH蛋白的功能等同物。该项目将剖析KASH蛋白如何在植物雄性育性和保卫细胞孔径调节中发挥作用。一个植物特异性LINC复合体需要移动营养核通过花粉管，并且其破坏影响花粉管终止和雄性育性。将确定这一新发现的过程与已知的花粉管功能信号传导途径（包括ROS和钙信号传导）的联系;将应用数学建模来模拟营养核的运动和突变体引起的缺陷;并将鉴定与LINC复合物相互作用并参与运动的马达蛋白。第二种植物特异性LINC复合物位于保卫细胞的细胞核，其破坏改变保卫细胞的非生物胁迫反应和保卫细胞动力学。这个LINC复合体，保卫细胞皮层肌动蛋白模式，核钙信号，和液泡形态之间的联系将被解剖。此外，植物叶片的候选蛋白质将被测试与植物LINC复合物的相互作用，以及它们参与上述保卫细胞和花粉管生物学。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并被认为值得通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估来支持。

This project explores the function of a new class of plant proteins that are located at the periphery of the nucleus - the center of genetic information - in the plant cell. These enigmatic protein complexes connect the inside of the nucleus to the cytoplasm - the part of the cell that surrounds the nucleus - and are important for a number of plant functions. This project will explore two functions. First, their role in pollen tubes, which are essential for fertilization and seed production (grain yield) in flowering plants. And second, guard cells, the cells that control the opening and closing of apertures (stomata) in the leaf of the plant, which regulate the movement of carbon dioxide from the air into the plant, and the loss of water (as vapor) from plant leaves into the air. The uptake of carbon dioxide from the air and the loss of water from the plant are of added significance in the face of increasingly frequent climate events such as drought, temperature extremes and the rising levels of carbon dioxide in the earth's atmosphere. In addition to training postdoctoral scientists, and graduate and undergraduate students, in cell and molecular biology, the project will initiate and develop an outreach project involving art to visualize aspects of the research and present them to the broader public.Plant-specific outer nuclear envelope proteins (KASH proteins) are the functional equivalent of animal KASH proteins of the linker of nucleoskeleton and cytoskeleton (LINC) complexes. This project will dissect how KASH proteins function in plant male fertility and guard cell aperture regulation. One plant specific LINC complex is required to move the vegetative nucleus through the pollen tube and its disruption affects pollen tube termination and male fertility. The connection of this newly discovered process to known signaling pathways of pollen tube function, including ROS and calcium signaling, will be determined; mathematical modeling will be applied to simulate the movement of the vegetative nucleus and the defects caused by the mutants; and motor proteins will be identified that interact with the LINC complex and are involved in the movement. A second plant-specific LINC complex is located at the nucleus of guard cells and its disruption changes guard cell abiotic stress response, and guard cell dynamics. The connection between this LINC complex, guard cell cortical actin patterns, nuclear calcium signaling, and vacuolar morphology will be dissected. In addition, candidate proteins for a plant lamina will be tested for interactions with the plant LINC complexes and for their involvement in the guard cell and pollen tube biology described above.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.