Integration of trehalose-6-phosphate signaling by FAF proteins in Arabidopsis thaliana

植物在其一生中从位于芽和根的顶端的称为分生组织的多能干细胞群中产生新的器官。茎分生组织的大小由一个反馈环严格控制，该反馈环涉及同源结构域转录因子WUSCHEL（WUS）和CLAVATA（CLV）基因。这种调节回路通过糖蔗糖和海藻糖进一步微调。我们已经确定了一个家庭的四个相关的植物特异性蛋白质，编码的FANTASTIC四（FAF）基因，可以调节芽分生组织的大小在拟南芥。有趣的是，FAF蛋白与TPS 1相互作用，TPS 1是一种合成海藻糖-6-磷酸盐（二糖海藻糖的前体）的酶。在这里，我们提出了一系列的实验，以调查在分生组织和生长控制的FAF蛋白的分子功能。我们还试图跟踪我们的数据，表明BPM蛋白对FAF蛋白的调节。最后，我们将分析FAF蛋白如何调节TPS 1功能以影响海藻糖稳态以及这些海藻糖代谢蛋白对发育的影响。除了提供一个有趣的和新的蛋白质家族的全面分析，拟议的工作将提高我们的知识代谢产物，在这种情况下，海藻糖及其前体海藻糖-6-磷酸，有助于发展和增长。

Plants produce new organs throughout their lives from groups of pluripotent stem cells called meristems, located at the tips of the shoot and the root. The size of the shoot meristem is tightly controlled by a feedback loop, which involves the homeodomain transcription factor WUSCHEL (WUS) and the CLAVATA (CLV) genes. This regulatory circuit is further fine-tuned by the sugars sucrose and trehalose. We have identified a family of four related plant-specific proteins, encoded by the FANTASTIC FOUR (FAF) genes, that can modulate shoot meristem size in Arabidopsis. Interestingly, the FAF proteins interact with TPS1, an enzyme that synthesizes trehalose-6- phosophate, a precursor of the disaccharide trehalose. Here we propose a series of experiments to investigate the molecular function of the FAF proteins in meristem and growth control. We also seek to follow up on our data indicating the regulation of the FAF proteins by BPM proteins. Finally, we will analyze how the FAF proteins modulate TPS1 function to affect trehalose homeostasis and the effect of these trehalose metabolizing proteins on development. In addition to offering a comprehensive analysis of an interesting and novel protein family, the proposed work will enhance our knowledge of how metabolites, in this case trehalose and its precursor trehalose-6-phosphate, contribute to development and growth.