(AFS) Molecular mechanisms that control plant growth plasticity

植物天生就是塑料有机体。它们的总体身体规划是遗传编码的，但植物结构可以被修改，以适应周围的环境。从这个意义上说，外部信号，如光和温度，对植物的生长发育方式有深远的影响，最终影响植物的适合性、抗病能力和生产力。生长可塑性在能够适应一系列特殊外部条件的叶片中尤为明显。该项目将阐明控制细胞增殖、碳分配和叶结构的光和温度激活的分子机制。这一博士项目的结果将与作物研究高度相关。例如，一个预期的结果是确定在密集种植环境(通常会降低产量)中改善植物结构的分子策略。该项目还将具有广泛的影响范围，因为它将加深我们对环境驱动的生长可塑性的理解，这是地球上植物非凡进化成功的基本属性。Halliday实验室最近的研究表明，光感受器信号的改变会导致新陈代谢、碳资源分配和叶片生物量的戏剧性变化。这个项目将建立在这些发现的基础上，来自韩礼德实验室的新数据已经确定了将光感受器信号与细胞分裂相结合的分子成分。其目标将是：i)阐明分子连接机制，ii)利用克隆、基因编辑和/或转基因方法产生用于关键途径组件的分子功能分析的资源，iii)使用我们的3D成像平台来量化光感受器/信号途径突变体的动态生长，iv)量化叶片光合作用和相关的碳代谢变化，v)进行RNAseq和生物信息学分析，表征随时间变化的Transciptome响应的动态特征，vi)与理论科学家合作建模和预测变化的光和资源可获得性对生长的影响：这将有助于制定策略，以改善植物生长和生产力在植被丰富的田间作物环境中排除光。

Plants are inherently plastic organisms. Their general body plan is genetically encoded, but plant architecture can be modified to adjust to the environment that surrounds it. In this sense, external cues, such as light and temperature, have a profound effect on the way a plant grows and develops, ultimately affecting a plant's fitness, disease resistance and productivity1. Growth plasticity is particularly pronounced in leaves that are able to adapt to an extraordinary array of external conditions. This project will elucidate the light and temperature- activated molecular mechanisms that control cell proliferation, carbon partitioning and leaf architecture. Results from this PhD project will be highly relevant for crop research. For instance, an expected outcome is the identification of molecular strategies to improve plant architecture in dense cropping environments (that normally reduce yield). The project will also have broad reach as it will deepen our understanding of environment-driven growth plasticity, a fundamental property that underlies the extraordinary evolutionary success of plants on earth. Recent work from the Halliday lab has shown that alterations photoreceptor signalling lead to dramatic changes in metabolism, carbon resource partitioning and leaf biomass2. This project will build on these findings new data form the Halliday lab that has identified molecular components that couple photoreceptor signalling to cell division. The aim will be to: i) elucidate the molecular connecting mechanism, ii) generate resources for molecular function analysis of key pathway components using cloning, gene editing and/or transgenic methods, iii) use our 3D imaging platform to quantify dynamic growth in photoreceptor / signalling pathway mutants, iv) quantify leaf photosynthesis and associated changes in carbon metabolism, v) conduct RNAseq and bioinformatics analysis that characterises the dynamical transciptome response through time, vi) work with theoretical scientists to model and predict the impacts of changing light and resource availability on growth: this will aid the development of strategies to improve plant growth and productivity in vegetation-rich field crop environments that exclude light.