GENETICS OF AGAMOUS ACTION IN ARABISOPSIS DEVELOPMENT

拟议实验的长期目标是生产， 模式的分子和遗传模型的检验和改进 在花的发育过程中形成。这将通过深入研究来实现 一个关键的同源异型基因的遗传学和分子遗传学 拟南芥植物花的发育。这是 AGAMOUS基因，其表型为六种雄蕊的同源异型转换 发现在野生型的花中有六片花瓣，而在子房中通常发现 在花的中心形成轮生的花被片。此外，野生动物 AGAMOUS型基因似乎负责调节 花的几个部分的细胞分裂的数量和模式。自建厂 发育只包括调节细胞分裂的两个过程 和图案化的细胞分化(与动物不同，细胞 移徙和产妇信息发挥主要作用)，了解 AGAMOUS基因的活性将是理解 在植物中形成花纹。由于此过程在 植物比动物，可以预料到在许多方面 植物的发展不仅对它们本身有利，而且 也可以作为更复杂的发育过程的模型 动物。 AGAMOUS基因已经被克隆，它的蛋白质产品共享 与已知的一类转录调控因子有很大的同源性 脊椎动物和面包师酵母。人类的同源物是血清反应 因子，它是人类c-fos的关键转录调节因子 致癌基因。这就是建议的研究与 由异常胚胎模式引起的出生缺陷的健康问题 形成，以及致癌。具体目的是研究 AGAMOUS的作用及其与一系列额外的同源同源异物的相互作用 基因。在提议的实验中，包括对这个地方的仔细研究 以及AG作用和表达的时间，通过RNA的原位分析，通过 AG蛋白的抗体定位及报告基因的表达 基因。所有这些都将在野生型和各种突变体中完成 背景。此外，还进行了一系列实验，以在空间上和 暂时性错误表达基因是有计划的，基因马赛克研究也是如此。 最后，对新发现的AG同源物家族进行了详细的研究 将在拟南芥基因组中进行，以了解 现在已知的许多其他植物基因与AGAMOUS有关，因此与 人血清反应因子。

The long term objective of the proposed experiments is the production, testing and refinement of a molecular and genetic model for pattern formation in flower development. This will be done by studying in depth the genetics and molecular genetics of a key homeotic gene in the development of flowers of the plant Arabidopsis thaliana. This is the AGAMOUS gene, whose phenotype is the homeotic conversion of the six stamens found in wild type flowers to six petals, and of the ovary normally found in the center of the flower into a whorl of sepals. In addition, the wild type AGAMOUS gene appears to be responsible for the regulation of the amount and pattern of cell division in several flower parts. Since plant development consists only of the two processes of regulated cell division and patterned cellular differentiation (unlike animals, in which cell migration and maternal information play major roles), understanding the activities of the AGAMOUS gene will be a major step in understanding pattern formation in plants. Since this process appears much simpler in plants than in animals, it is to be expected that many aspects of development in plants will not only be of interest in their own right, but also serve as models for the more complex developmental processes of animals. The AGAMOUS gene is already cloned, and its protein product shares substantial homology with a class of transcriptional regulators known in vertebrates and in baker's yeast. The human homologue is Serum Response Factor, which is a key transcriptional regulator of the human c-fos oncogene. This underlies the relatedness of the proposed studies to the health problems of birth defects, caused by abnormal embryonic pattern formation, and of carcinogenesis. The specific aims are to study the action of AGAMOUS and its interaction with a series of additional homeotic genes. Among the proposed experiments are the careful study of the place and time of AG action and expression, by in situ analysis of RNA, by antibody localization of the AG protein, and by expression of reporter genes. All of this will be done in wild type and various mutant backgrounds. In additional a series of experiments to spatially and temporally misexpress the gene are planned, as are genetic mosaic studies. Finally, a detailed study of the newly-discovered family of AG homologues in the Arabidopsis genome will be performed, to learn the activity of the many other plant genes now known to be related to AGAMOUS, and thus to human Serum Response Factor.