The N-end rule pathway controls plant response to drought

为了在气候变化下维持日益增长的人口的粮食安全，迫切需要发展用水量更少、更耐受环境压力，特别是干旱的作物。我们最近在诺丁汉大学和谢菲尔德大学使用实验室模型拟南芥(相当于实验室的老鼠)进行的研究发现，植物对干旱胁迫具有极强的耐受性。耐旱植物缺乏识别细胞内特定蛋白质的能力，并通过一种名为N-末端规则途径的生化过程将其送往破坏。到目前为止，从我们的分析来看，我们已经有了一个重要的线索，即‘耐旱蛋白’的身份不会被破坏，因此在我们的耐旱植物中是稳定的。我们知道该蛋白的一端含有氨基酸残基蛋氨酸和半胱氨酸。在这个项目中，我们将确定哪些特定的蛋白质(S)在我们的植物中是稳定的，这为我们提供了关于我们如何在未来使植物更耐旱的重要信息。我们还将发现同样的N-end规则耐旱系统是否适用于英国一种重要的作物--大麦。在过去的一年里，英国许多地区经历了不同寻常的长时间干旱，其中包括自1910年有记录以来最干燥的12个月。这导致了严重的农作物歉收，2011年的粮食产量受到了特别大的影响。农民们报告说，他们的大麦收成下降了10%到50%，幸存下来的大麦谷物质量往往很差，只适用于低价值的动物饲料，而不适合酿造啤酒。由于这对农民和酿酒商都是一个问题，英国一家主要的酿酒公司SABMiller已同意为我们的研究项目提供部分资金。SABMiller致力于减少他们的用水量，并相信更好地了解大麦如何应对干旱可能有助于他们实现这一目标。我们的研究直接属于英国研究委员会确定的全球粮食安全和与环境变化共存委员会优先事项的范围。该项目将有助于解决BBSRC战略研究优先事项粮食安全(作物科学)，我们与SABMiller的合作将解决建立伙伴关系(与用户合作研究)议程。

In order to maintain food security for a growing population under climate change, there is a pressing need to develop crops that use less water and that are more tolerant to environmental stresses, particularly drought. Our recent research at the Universities of Nottingham and Sheffield using the laboratory model Arabidopsis thaliana (the plant equivalent of a lab-rat) has identified plants that are extremely tolerant to drought stress. The drought tolerant plants lack the ability to recognise particular proteins inside their cells and send them for destruction by a biochemical process called the N-end rule pathway. From our analysis so far, we already have an important clue as to the identity of the 'drought tolerance protein' that is not destroyed and is therefore stabilised in our drought-tolerant plants. We know that this protein has the amino acid residues methionine and cysteine at one end. In this project we shall identify which specific protein(s) are stabilised in our plants providing us with important information on how we could, in the future, make plants more drought-tolerant. We will also find out if the same N-end rule drought tolerance system works in an important UK crop, barley. Many parts of the UK have experienced unusual and extended periods of drought over the past year which has included the driest 12 months since records began in 1910. This has led to a high level of crop failure with 2011 grain yields being particularly affected. Farmers have reported failure of 10% to 50% of their barley crop, and the surviving barley grain has often been of poor quality, only suitable for low value animal feed rather than for beer-making. As this is a problem for both farmers and brewers, SABMiller a major UK brewing company have agreed to fund part of our research project. SABMiller are committed to reducing the amount of water that they use, and believe that a better understanding of how barley responds to drought may help them to achieve this aim.Our research falls directly within the remit of Global Food Security and Living with Environment Change cross-council priorities identified by the UK Research Councils. The project will help to address the BBSRC strategic research priority Food Security (Crop Science) and our collaboration with SABMiller addresses the Building Partnerships (Collaborative Research with Users) agenda.