Dimorphic fruits, seeds and seedlings as adaptation mechanisms to abiotic stress in unpredictable environments

高等植物的传播单位--散生孢子，这里是果实和种子--支持着后代的分布和早期生活史。SeedAdapt项目的目的是阐明一年生植物物种中果实、种子和幼苗性状的分子机制，以适应不断变化和不可预测的环境。虽然这些特性是食品质量和安全以及生态系统命运的基石，但对适应包括高温和干旱在内的非生物胁迫的机制的分子和发育生物多样性知之甚少。为了提供新的见解，这一重要的适应机制，我们的跨学科和综合项目利用不同的“二型散生孢子（DD）”，发展在同一植物的一年生Aethionema物种（菊科）的休眠赌注对冲策略。种子-水孢子综合征（SDS）类似于拟南芥等杂草的“默认途径”：开裂的果实传播非深度休眠的种子，这些种子在吸胀后形成粘液，胚在萌发过程中首先出现胚根。“果实-水孢子综合征（FDS）”构成了一种“新途径”：不裂的果实被分散，其中含有深度休眠的非粘性种子，在萌发过程中胚首先出现子叶。我们将比较SDS和FDS的两个Aethionema arabicum加入适应不同的气候，他们对非生物胁迫的反应在三个敏感的过程：（1）繁殖;（2）发芽;（3）幼苗生长。对于二型水硬铝石的形成，我们将调查SDS/FDS的比例取决于父母的环境，进行传播基因的进化比较，并研究综合征和应力相关的硫代葡萄糖苷模式（水硬铝石食草动物）。二态性散生孢子的激素单体、表观基因组和转录物组提供了“综合征X胁迫记忆”，其将以比较的方式进行量化，并与胁迫生理学建模、种子生物力学和二态性幼苗的生长成像相结合。的Ae。Arabicum基因组序列和RNA-Seq生物信息学管道是可用的。“综合征x压力记忆”数据的比较将提供差异表达的基因和不同的表观遗传标记。他们的针对性分析将扩展到几个Aethionema种群/物种，以及作物和模型中的基因组学（例如启动子元件）和跨物种反向遗传学。我们将进行SDS和FDS的正向和反向遗传学，以分离个体性状，包括EMS突变体筛选和QTL分析，使用现有的RILs，我们将建立遗传转化和资源。我们建议，调查水果，种子和幼苗性状多样性的监管基础是理想的整合新技术和互补的专业知识，以研究生态学，进化，种子工业和作物育种领域的最重要的。

Higher plant dispersal units - diaspores, here: fruits and seeds - support the distribution and early life history of the progeny. The aim of the SeedAdapt project is to elucidate molecular mechanisms of fruit, seed and seedling traits that evolved in annual plant species as adaptations to changing and unpredictable environments. Although these traits are cornerstones for food quality and safety as well as for the fate of ecosystems, the molecular and developmental biodiversity of mechanisms underlying the adaptation to abiotic stresses including heat and drought are only poorly understood. To provide novel insight into this important adaptation mechanism, our interdisciplinary and integrative project utilizes the distinct 'dimorphic diaspores (DD)' that develop on the same plant of annual Aethionema species (Brassicaceae) as dormancy bet-hedging strategy. The 'Seed-Diaspore Syndrome (SDS)' resembles the 'default pathway' of weeds like Arabidopsis: dehiscent fruits disperse seeds with non-deep dormancy, these seeds form mucilage upon imbibition, and embryos emerge with radicles first during germination. The 'Fruit-Diaspore Syndrome (FDS)' constitutes a 'novel pathway': indehiscent fruits are dispersed that contain non-mucilaginous seeds with deep dormancy, and embryos emerge with cotyledons first during germination. We will compare SDS and FDS of two Aethionema arabicum accessions adapted to distinct climates, for their responses to abiotic stress during three sensitive processes: (1) reproduction; (2) germination; and (3) seedling growth. For the dimorphic diaspore formation we will investigate the SDS/FDS-ratios depending on the parental environment, perform an evolutionary comparison of dispersal genes, and study syndrome- and stress-related glucosinolate patterns (diaspore herbivory). The dimorphic diaspores' hormonomes, epigenomes, and transcriptomes provide 'syndrome x stress memories' which will be quantified in a comparative manner and integrated with stress physiology modelling, seed biomechanics, and growth imaging of dimorphic seedlings. The Ae. arabicum genome sequence and a RNA-Seq bioinformatics pipeline are available. The comparison of the 'syndrome x stress memory' data will provide differentially expressed genes and distinct epigenetic markers. Their targeted analyses will be extended across several Aethionema populations/species, as well as by phylogenomics (e.g. promoter elements) and cross-species reverse-genetics in crops and models. We will conduct forward and reverse genetics of SDS and FDS to separate individual traits, including EMS-mutant screens and QTL analyses using already existing RILs, and we will establish genetic transformation and resources. We propose that investigating the regulatory basis of fruit, seed, and seedling trait diversity is ideal for integrating new technologies and complementary expertise in order to study a field with utmost importance in ecology, evolution, seed industry and crop breeding.