Role of a Cell Wall-Associated Kinase in Zinc Sensing

多细胞生物感知锌并因此调节锌的运输在很大程度上是未知的。这个 我们研究的主要目标是了解细胞壁相关受体激酶家族(WAK)是如何 而WAK样激酶(WAKL)在细胞-细胞和细胞-环境通讯中发挥作用。我们有 发现WAKL4是一个WAK/WAKL家族成员，在拟南芥锌感应中起着关键作用。 我们在这项应用中的目标是阐明植物如何利用WAKL4来监控 细胞外锌的条件和调控锌的运输。我们的中心假设是WAKL4，作为一个 受体激酶是锌信号转导过程中的关键调控成分之一。我们建议对此进行测试 确定拟南芥锌信号关键调控因子的假说。在目标1中，我们将测试锌是否诱导 组织特异性WAKL4的表达在锌感应和锌转运中起作用，它通过识别实际的 控制锌诱导的WAKL4表达的成分。一种生化、遗传和 将使用生物信息学方法来识别和确定监管机构的角色 组件。在目标2中，我们将使用抑制子筛选来确定WAKL4中的其他关键基因- 介导锌信号转导。基因筛查是基于这样一个事实，即在没有WAKL4的情况下，锌 转运蛋白基因不能对外部锌的耗尽做出反应。我们将鉴定其锌的突变体 在缺乏WAKL4的情况下，转运蛋白基因仍然对缺锌有反应。WAKL4是第一个 受体激酶被认为在矿物质感应和调节中起作用。我们建议的研究是 有望为了解拟南芥如何使用受体激酶感知提供关键信息 和对锌的反应，并显著促进对WAK/WAKL成员如何 在细胞外和细胞内的隔间之间进行通信。 与公共健康相关：锌是所有生物体必需的微量营养素，它的缺乏是一种 众所周知的人类健康问题。我们在这里的贡献预计是对 细胞外基质连接的受体激酶如何在植物锌的感知和运输中发挥作用。这 预计贡献将提供显著改进可食用植物所需的知识 动物和人类的膳食锌来源。

multicellular organisms sense zinc and consequently regulate zinc transport is largely unknown. The main goal of our research is to understand how a family of cell wall-associated receptor kinases (WAK) and WAK-like (WAKL) kinases function in cell-cell and cell-environment communications. We have discovered that WAKL4, a WAK/WAKL family member, plays a critical role in Arabidopsis zinc sensing. Our objective in this application is to elucidate the mechanisms of how plants use WAKL4 to monitor extracellular zinc conditions and to regulate zinc transport. Our central hypothesis is that WAKL4, as a receptor kinase, is one of the key regulatory components in zinc signaling. We propose to test this hypothesis to identify key regulators in Arabidopsis zinc signaling. In Aim 1, we will test if zinc-induced tissue-specific WAKL4 expression plays a role in zinc sensing and zinc transport by identifying the actual components that control zinc-induced WAKL4 expression. A combination of biochemical, genetic and bioinformatic approaches will be used to identify and to determine the roles of the regulatory components. In Aim 2, we will use suppressor screening to identity other critical genes in the WAKL4- mediated zinc signaling. The genetic screening is based on the fact that in the absence of WAKL4, zinc transporter genes fail to respond to external zinc depletion. We will identify mutants whose zinc transporter genes, in absence of WAKL4, remain responding to zinc deficiency. WAKL4 is the first receptor kinase suggested as having a role in mineral sensing and regulation. Our proposed studies are expected to provide critical information in understanding how Arabidopsis uses receptor kinases to sense and respond to zinc, and to significantly advance the understanding of how WAK/WAKL members communicate between the extracellular and intracellular compartments. Relevance to Public Health: Zinc is an essential micronutrient for all organisms and its deficiency is a well-known human-health problem. Our contribution here is expected to be a detailed understanding of how an extracellular matrix-linked receptor kinase plays a role in plant zinc sensing and transport. This contribution is expected to provide the knowledge needed to significantly improve edible plants as better dietary zinc sources for both animals and humans.