How boundaries regulate plant architecture

边界如何调节植物结构

• 批准号: RGPIN-2016-06193
• 负责人: Hepworth, Shelley
• 金额: $ 2.99万
• 依托单位: Carleton University
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2019
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2019-01-01 至 2020-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=688268
• 关键词: How; boundaries; regulate; plant; architecture

Agriculture is a key sector of the Canadian economy. Increased productivity is a major goal of breeding programs. Plant architecture is a major determinant of crop yield. The long-term objective of my research program is to understand how genes control plant shape and form. This information is valuable in genomics-assisted breeding which seeks to use knowledge of genes and genomes to customize agronomic traits in crop plants.***Plant shape and form relies on the activity of self-perpetuating groups of stem cells called meristems. Meristems provide a continuous supply of daughter cells for incorporation into new leaves, flowers, and shoots throughout the life cycle. Our work focuses on the role of organ boundaries located at the meristem periphery. Boundaries are narrow domains of restricted growth that separate the meristem from new organs as they form. These domains are essential for meristem maintenance and organ outgrowth. These domains are also the source of axillary meristems that give rise to branches and flowers on the inflorescence and the site of abscission zones that control the detachment of fruits, leaves, and flowers. Despite the agronomic importance of boundaries to plant architecture, little is known about the genetic networks that control their function. ***Our work has identified BLADE-ON-PETIOLE (BOP) transcription factors and their downstream targets as major determinants of plant architecture functioning at organ boundaries. This module regulates reproductive meristem development, inflorescence branching, and specification of abscission zones. A much broader role for this module in fruit development, organ detachment, and plant defense is suggested by expression patterns and transcriptome analysis of downstream target genes. Over the next five years, we will investigate these links in the model plant species, Arabidopsis thaliana (Arabidopsis). Our proposed research focuses on four areas: (1) Role of the BOP module in fruit development, (2) Module function in abscission, (3) TGA transcription factors acting as BOP co-factors at boundaries, and (4) Role of BOPs in plant defense. This work provides important training opportunities for 3 Ph.D. students, 3 M.Sc. students, and 3-4 undergraduate HQP per year who will take an active role in knowledge discovery. ***Significance: BOPs have been identified as regulating a variety of important agronomic traits linked to crop yield including tillering in barley, leaf complexity and inflorescence architecture in tomato, and abscission in legumes. An understanding of how these genes control development at boundaries brings us one step closer to customization of plants for agriculture. **

农业是加拿大经济的关键部门。提高生产率是育种计划的主要目标。植物结构是决定作物产量的主要因素。我的研究计划的长期目标是了解基因如何控制植物的形状和形态。这些信息在基因组学辅助育种中是有价值的，该育种寻求利用基因和基因组的知识来定制作物的农艺性状。*植物的形状和形态依赖于被称为分生组织的自我维持的干细胞群的活动。在整个生命周期中，分生组织为新叶、花和新芽提供源源不断的子代细胞。我们的工作重点是位于分生组织外围的器官边界的作用。边界是限制生长的狭窄区域，当分生组织形成时，它将分生组织与新器官分开。这些结构域对于分生组织的维持和器官的生长是必不可少的。这些区域也是腋生分生组织的来源，腋生分生组织在花序上产生分枝和花，以及控制果实、叶和花分离的离区的位置。尽管边界对植物结构具有重要的农学意义，但人们对控制其功能的遗传网络知之甚少。*我们的工作已经确定叶柄上叶片(BOP)转录因子及其下游靶标是植物结构在器官边界发挥作用的主要决定因素。这个模块调节生殖分生组织的发育、花序分枝和离区的规范。通过对下游靶基因的表达模式和转录组分析，表明该模块在果实发育、器官分离和植物防御中具有更广泛的作用。在接下来的五年里，我们将在模式植物拟南芥(Arabiopsis Thaliana)中研究这些联系。我们的研究集中在四个方面：(1)BOP模块在果实发育中的作用；(2)模块在脱落中的作用；(3)TGA转录因子作为BOP边界辅助因子的作用；(4)BOP在植物防御中的作用。这项工作为3名博士生、3名硕士研究生提供了重要的培训机会。学生，每年3-4名本科生HQP，他们将在知识发现中发挥积极作用。*意义：BOPS已被确定为调节多种与作物产量相关的重要农艺性状，包括大麦的分蘖、番茄的叶片复杂性和花序结构，以及豆类的脱落。了解这些基因是如何控制边界上的发育的，让我们离定制农业植物又近了一步。**