Coordination of plant reproductive development by hormonal interaction

在大多数开花植物中，发育中的种子是正常果实（果皮）生长所必需的，胚胎、胚乳和种皮组织之间的协调是正常种子发育所必需的。植物利用激素信号来协调器官和组织的生长发育。由于加拿大种植的种子和水果作物是加拿大人日常饮食的重要食物来源，也是加拿大经济的重要组成部分，因此研究负责协调这些组织生长和发育的激素机制对于保护这些种子和水果作物免受气候和环境变化的影响以及提高产量至关重要。本研究计划概述的工作建立在过去五年对植物激素在种子内以及种子和果实之间的生长发育协调中的作用的研究基础上。在果实中，我们的数据表明种子来源的生长素是刺激赤霉素（GA）生物合成从而促进果实生长的重要信号。在种子发育过程中，我们发现GA的生物合成和分解代谢受组织特异性调控，并与种皮、胚乳和胚胎发育过程中的变化相关。在这两个系统中，我们的工作都是该领域的先驱，并导致了独特的工作假设的发展，以解释激素在组织生长和发育协调中的作用。这项工作将确定植物组织通过激素信号进行沟通以协调和调节生长的机制。这一知识体系反过来又可以对解决与水果和种子生长和发育有关的具有重大经济意义的问题的进展产生重大影响。最近，这些知识的应用导致了两项专利申请和一个行业合作伙伴关系，进一步推动了这项工作的应用方面。

In most flowering plants, developing seeds are required for normal fruit (pericarp) growth, and coordination between the embryo, endosperm and seed coat tissues is required for normal seed development. Plants use hormonal signals to coordinate organ and tissue growth and development. As Canadian grown seed and fruit crops are an important source of food for the daily Canadian diet, and an integral part of the Canadian economy, research into the hormonal mechanisms responsible for coordinating growth and development of these tissues is crucial to protecting these seed and fruit crops from variations in climate and environment, and in improving yield. The work outlined in this research program builds on the past five years of research on the role of plant hormones in the coordination of growth and development within seeds, and between seeds and the fruit. In the fruit, our data suggest that seed-derived auxin is an important signal to stimulate gibberellin (GA) biosynthesis and thereby fruit growth. In developing seeds, we found that GA biosynthesis and catabolism is tissue-specifically regulated and correlated with changes in the seed coat, endosperm and embryo over development. In both systems, our work is pioneering in the field and has led to the development of unique working hypotheses to explain the role of hormones in coordination of tissue growth and development. This work will identify mechanisms by which plant tissues communicate using hormonal signals to coordinate and regulate growth. This body of knowledge, in turn, could have substantial impact on progress in solving problems of significant economic importance pertaining to fruit and seed growth and development. Recently application of this knowledge has led to two patent applications and an industry partnership in furthering the applied aspects of this work.