Cis-element conservation and divergence in plant reproductive development

大多数农产品来自开花植物的果实，如水稻和玉米。由于果实起源于花，作物改良需要对花和果实发育有详细的了解。对金鱼草或拟南芥等参比物种的研究揭示了控制花卉和水果发育的关键步骤的基因。这些基因编码转录因子，这些转录因子调节在其调控区域内包含特定DNA序列的其他基因。人们认为，这些调控序列的变异以及它们与关键转录因子的相互作用，在进化和植物驯化过程中造成花和果实发育的变化方面发挥了重要作用。我们的目标是了解转录因子网络及其目标调控序列如何控制花和果实的发育，这些网络在物种之间是如何变化的，并探索这些变化用于实际应用。我们将关注一组关键的调控基因，这些基因最初是在拟南芥中发现的。其中之一是WUSCHEL(WUS)，它控制着维持所有新植物器官发育的干细胞群体。在花器官发生过程中，WUS通过AGAMOUS(AG)和种子棒(STK)的作用受到抑制。AG继续在决定雄蕊和心皮特征方面发挥关键作用，而STK则指导胚珠的发育。在AG的控制下，另一组基因控制心皮内的细胞分化，包括在某些物种中最终允许果实开放和释放种子的结构的发展。这个网络包括防破碎(SHP)、富足(FUL)、锯齿(JAG)和可重复使用(RPL)。我们最初将利用拟南芥来填补我们在这些基因如何相互调节以及在发育过程中如何增加靶基因方面的知识空白。该项目中的每个欧洲合作伙伴都将专注于上述基因的一个子集。在所有情况下，我们都将首先确定这些基因编码的转录因子在体内靶向的调控序列。然后，我们将验证这些靶序列是否在物种之间保守，并测试它们对包含它们的基因表达的重要性。然后，我们将检查调控序列的变异是否可以解释不同物种之间的一些发育差异。在我们的案例中，我们将检查SHP、FUL、JAG和RPL调控的变化是否涉及拟南芥和油菜籽之间果实发育的差异。根据结果，我们将进行有针对性的筛选，寻找可能改变油菜果实发育的调控序列的变化，用于实际应用，特别是减少因果实过早开放而造成的种子损失。

Most agricultural products are derived from fruits of flowering plants, such as rice and corn. Since fruits originate from flowers, crop improvement requires a detailed understanding of flower and fruit development. Research on reference species, such as Antirrhinum or Arabidopsis, has revealed genes that control key steps in the development of flowers and fruits. These genes encode transcription factors, which regulate other genes that contain specific DNA sequences within their regulatory regions. It is believed that variation in these regulatory sequences and in their interaction with key transcription factors have played a major role in creating the changes in flower and fruit development seen during evolution and in plant domestication. We aim to understand how networks of transcription factors and their target regulatory sequences control flower and fruit development, how these networks vary between species, and explore these variations for practical use. We will focus on a key set of regulatory genes, originally identified in Arabidopsis. One of them is WUSCHEL (WUS), which controls the stem cell population that sustains development of all new plant organs. During floral organogenesis, WUS is repressed through the action of AGAMOUS (AG) and SEEDSTICK (STK). AG goes on to play a key role in specifying stamen and carpel identity, while STK guides ovule development. Under the control of AG, a further set of genes controls cell differentiation within the carpels, including the development of structures that in some species eventually allow the fruits to open and release seeds. This network includes SHATTERPROOF (SHP), FRUITFUL (FUL), JAGGED (JAG) and REPLUMLESS (RPL). We will initially use Arabidopsis to fill gaps in our knowledge of how these genes regulate each other and additional target genes during development. Each of the European partners in this project will focus on a subset of the genes mentioned above. In all cases, we will first identify the regulatory sequences that are targeted in vivo by the transcription factors encoded by these genes. We will then verify whether these target sequences are conserved across species and test their importance for the expression of the genes that contain them. We will then check whether variations in regulatory sequences can explain some of the developmental differences seen across species. In our case, we will check whether changes in the regulation of SHP, FUL, JAG and RPL are involved in the differences in fruit development between Arabidopsis and rapeseed. Based on the results, we will then perform a targeted screen for changes in regulatory sequences that may alter rapeseed fruit development for practical use, specifically, to reduce seed loss due to premature opening of the fruit.