Annexin1-mediated calcium signalling controls plant responses to ozone

臭氧作为一种地面污染物，其含量威胁着农作物和牧场的生产力。欧洲每年的农作物损失高达数十亿欧元。臭氧“事件”（当地条件在生长季节促使臭氧显著升高）的频率将增加。臭氧会减少地上部（和根部）的生长，导致叶片脱落，影响谷物的发育。臭氧也会加剧干旱对植物的影响。随着干旱影响英国的大片地区，必须了解植物如何抵御臭氧，以解决这个问题。植物对臭氧的反应是产生一种内部信号，引起基因表达的变化。它也可能导致细胞死亡。钙的增加是这个信号的重要组成部分。我们已经发现了一种突变植物，它不能产生这种钙信号。通过比较突变体与其未突变的野生型，我们可以使用突变体作为一种工具，揭示从遗传到整个植物水平响应臭氧发生的变化。我们知道突变体中缺失的蛋白质，并将在关键类型的细胞中测试其功能。我们还将评估其重要性，植物的能力，以调节其水和气体的关系，并单独或结合干旱臭氧压力下生长。这些比较研究还将确定可能用于耐臭氧作物育种方案的基因。

Levels of ozone as a ground-level pollutant threaten crop and pasture productivity. European crop losses are worth several billion Euros annually. The frequency of ozone "episodes" (when local conditions promote significant ozone elevation during the growing season) is set to increase. Ozone reduces shoot (and root) growth, causes leaf loss and affects grain development. Ozone can also exacerbate the effects of drought on plants. With drought affecting large areas of the UK, how plants defend against ozone must be understood to combat this problem. Plants respond to ozone by generating an internal signal that causes changes in the genes that are expressed. It can also lead to cell death. An increase in calcium is an important component of this signal. We have discovered a mutant plant that cannot generate this calcium signal. By comparing the mutant with its non-mutated wild type, we can use the mutant as a tool with which to reveal the changes that occur in response to ozone from the genetic to whole plant level. We know the protein that is missing in the mutant and will test for its function in critical types of cell. We will also assess its importance to a plant's ability to regulate its water and gas relations and grow under ozone stress alone or combined with drought. These comparative studies will also identify genes likely to be of use in breeding programmes for ozone-resistant crops.