Suberin: From Genes to Function

木栓质：从基因到功能

• 批准号: 157930-2012
• 负责人: Bernards, Mark
• 金额: $ 4.08万
• 依托单位: University of Western Ontario
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2014
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2014-01-01 至 2015-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=545763
• 关键词: Suberin; Genes; Function

Plants protect themselves from the environment by coating their surfaces with water resilient materials. For example, a waxy cuticle that repels water covers leaves and needles and helps prevent fungi and bacteria from accessing the inner tissue. Similarly, trees form a thick bark, the cells of which are encrusted with a water resilient material named suberin. Suberin is also formed on the surfaces of roots and tubers, in the epidermis cells, where it helps maintain water balance and acts as a physical barrier to soil-borne disease organisms. In roots, another layer of cells, called the endodermis, also contains suberin. These cells act as the last physical barrier to water, nutrients and pathogens before they can enter the vascular tissue that distributes water and nutrients throughout the plant. Because if its importance in regulating water flow and restricting pathogen spread, suberin plays a major role in drought resistance and resistance to soil-borne disease agents. Previously we have shown that the amount of suberin in soybean roots is strongly correlated with field level disease resistance. My research program focuses on understanding the formation (biosynthesis) of suberin including the ways that plants control the amount of suberin that they formed. We are currently focusing on Fatty Acid w-Hydroxylase (FAwH) genes from both Solanum tuberosum (potato, a model for suberin biosynthesis) and Glycine max (soybean, a model for the role of suberin in pathogen resistance). This represents a progression from chemical, biochemical and metabolomic approaches to include a molecular biological approach. With a better understanding of how plants control the location and amount of suberin they form, we will be able to find ways to enhance this process in key agricultural crops thereby providing plants with enhanced natural defenses.

植物通过在其表面涂上防水材料来保护自己免受环境影响。例如，叶子和针叶上覆盖着一层防水的蜡质角质层，有助于防止真菌和细菌进入内部组织。同样，树木形成厚厚的树皮，其细胞上覆盖着一种名为木栓质的防水材料。木栓质也形成于根和块茎表面的表皮细胞中，有助于维持水平衡并充当土传病害生物的物理屏障。在根中，另一层细胞，称为内皮层，也含有木栓质。这些细胞是水、养分和病原体进入维管组织之前的最后一道物理屏障，维管组织负责在整个植物中分配水和养分。因为木栓质在调节水流和限制病原体传播方面很重要，它在抗旱和抵抗土传病害方面也发挥着重要作用。之前我们已经表明，大豆根中木栓质的含量与田间抗病性密切相关。我的研究项目侧重于了解木栓质的形成（生物合成），包括植物控制其形成的木栓质数量的方式。我们目前重点研究来自 Solanum tuberosum（马铃薯，木栓质生物合成模型）和 Glycine max（大豆，木栓质在病原体抗性中作用的模型）的脂肪酸 w-羟化酶 (FAwH) 基因。这代表了从化学、生物化学和代谢组学方法到包括分子生物学方法的进步。通过更好地了解植物如何控制其形成的木栓质的位置和数量，我们将能够找到方法来增强关键农作物的这一过程，从而为植物提供增强的自然防御。