Metabolism and regulation of ancient protective biopolymers in the moss, Physcomitrella

苔藓、立碗藓中古代保护性生物聚合物的代谢和调节

• 批准号: RGPIN-2018-04286
• 负责人: Suh, DaeYeon
• 金额: $ 2.11万
• 依托单位: University of Regina
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2020-01-01 至 2021-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=712874
• 关键词: Metabolism; regulation; ancient; protective; biopolymers

The transition of plants from aquatic to terrestrial environments about 500 million years ago is one of the most important events in the evolution of life on earth. On land, early land plants encountered new challenges, which included surviving exposure to UV irradiation, desiccation and gravity. In order to cope with these challenges, early land plants developed, among other attributes, protective extracellular matrices of sporopollenin, cuticle and lignin. Sporopollenin is the main polymeric constituent of the outer walls of spore and pollen grain and the cuticle is a lipidic outer layer of aerial plant tissues. Lignin, which evolved later, is a class of phenolic polymers that lend rigidity to vascular plant tissue. Bryophytes comprising liverworts, mosses, and hornworts are the simplest and earliest-diverging lineages of land plants, and offer unique windows into the early evolution of land plants. With a complete genome sequence and other research resources, the moss Physcomitrella patens has emerged as a model bryophyte for research on plant evolution. In Physcomitrella, a target gene can efficiently be knocked out, allowing researchers to study the function of the target gene. This research program seeks to understand how the metabolic pathways for the protective materials evolved during early land plant evolution, which is one of the fundamental outstanding questions in plant science. Using multi-faceted, interdisciplinary and hypothesis-based approaches, we will determine how sporopollenin is polymerized during spore maturation and depolymerized during spore germination. We will also study the biosynthesis, metabolism and regulation of the cuticle and lignin-like phenolic compounds that provide the plant with desiccation tolerance and mechanical strength. This research will lead to novel discoveries that are applicable to other plant species, and provide new insights into how the earliest plants successfully adapted on land. Sporopollenin biosynthetic genes are good targets to generate plant male sterility for hybrid seed production and forest/crop control. Being the most robust biopolymer, sporopollenin also has unique applications in biotechnology (biodegradable polymer), medicine (oral vaccination and drug carrier) and wastewater treatment (metal sorbents). Our research may also lead to a new strategy for improving desiccation tolerance in other plants of agricultural importance. This program utilizes diverse research tools and thereby offers training opportunities in different areas of plant science ranging from molecular biology to phytochemistry. HQPs trained in multiple core areas in plant science will contribute to the advancement of science and technology in Canada.

大约5亿年前，植物从水生的环境过渡是地球生命进化中最重要的事件之一。在陆地上，早期的陆地植物遇到了新的挑战，其中包括幸存下来暴露于紫外线照射，干燥和重力。为了应对这些挑战，早期的土地植物除其他属性外，还可以保护孢子囊，表皮和木质素的保护性细胞外基质。孢子囊是孢子和花粉颗粒外壁的主要聚合物组成部分，角质层是空中植物组织的脂质外层。后来进化的木质素是一类酚类聚合物，可将刚性施加到血管植物组织。包括利弗沃特，苔藓和霍恩沃的苔藓植物是土地植物的最简单，最早的谱系，并为陆地植物的早期演变提供独特的窗户。有了完整的基因组序列和其他研究资源，Moss Physcomitrella Patens已成为一种用于植物进化研究的模型苔藓植物。在Physcomitrella中，可以有效地将靶基因拆除，从而使研究人员能够研究靶基因的功能。该研究计划旨在了解在早期土地植物进化过程中，保护材料的代谢途径如何发展，这是植物科学中基本的杰出问题之一。使用基于多方面的，跨学科和假设的方法，我们将确定在孢子成熟过程中如何聚合孢子蛋白，并在孢子发芽期间解散。我们还将研究角质层和木质素样酚类化合物的生物合成，代谢和调节，这些酚类化合物为植物提供了干燥耐受性和机械强度。这项研究将导致适用于其他植物物种的新发现，并提供有关最早植物如何在陆地上成功适应的新见解。孢子囊生物合成基因是产生植物雄性不育的良好靶标，用于杂交种子生产和森林/作物控制。孢子囊是最强大的生物聚合物，在生物技术（可生物降解聚合物），药物（口服疫苗接种和药物载体）和废水处理（金属吸尘器）中也具有独特的应用。我们的研究还可能导致一种新的战略，以提高其他具有农业重要性植物的干燥耐受性。该计划利用多样化的研究工具，从而在植物科学领域提供培训机会，从分子生物学到植物化学。在植物科学的多个核心领域接受培训的HQP将有助于加拿大科学技术的发展。