Transcription factor networks regulating the cell specific gene expression required for C4 photosynthesis

在许多生物体中，不同的细胞类型执行特定的功能。一个很好的例子是在使用所谓的C4光合途径的植物中发现的。在这些物种中，基本的光合作用过程发生在两种细胞类型中，即叶肉细胞和维管束鞘细胞。编码光合作用蛋白的基因是如何被调控的，使得部分途径仅限于叶肉细胞，而其他仅在维管束鞘中表达，这已经被研究了几十年。利用同样具有这些细胞的C3模式拟南芥，我们最近鉴定了一个转录因子模块，该模块能够将基因模式化到束鞘细胞中，我们可以在C4光合作用基因中检测到该模块的标志，我们现在希望确定这种机制是否用于将这些基因分隔到C4束鞘中。此外，我们还希望了解我们已经确定为在束鞘中表达所必需和足够的转录因子如何产生这种输出，以及它们本身如何受到调节。这项工作将为多细胞生物中基因表达的空间调控提供基本见解，特别是为C4基因表达是如何产生的提供关键见解。

In many organisms distinct cell types carry out defined functions. One excellent example of this is found in plants that use the so-called C4 photosynthetic pathway. In these species the fundamental photosynthetic process takes place in two cell types known as mesophyll and bundle sheath cells. How genes encoding photosynthesis proteins are regulated such that part of pathway is restricted to mesophyll cells, and others are expressed only in the bundle sheath has been studied for decades. Using the C3 model Arabidopsis that also has these cells we have recently identified a transcription factor module that is able to pattern genes to bundle sheath cells.We can detect the hallmarks of this module in C4 photosynthesis genes and we now wish to determine if this mechanism is used to compartment these genes into the C4 bundle sheath. Furthermore, we also wish to understand how the transcription factors that we have identified as being necessary and sufficient for expression in the bundle sheath generate this output, and also how they themselves are regulated. The work will provide fundamental insight into the spatial regulation of gene expression in multicellular organisms, and in particular provide key insights into how C4 gene expression is brought about.