玉米ORA47调节OPDA合成及OPDA独立响应逆境胁迫的分子机制研究

玉米是世界上重要的粮食作物和工业原料之一。由于社会发展及环境恶化，盐碱和干旱等逆境胁迫成为影响玉米生长及产量稳定的重要因素。12-氧-植物二烯酸（OPDA）是植物体内茉莉酸（JA）合成的前体，可以作为信号分子并通过不依赖于JA的信号途径调节特异性基因的表达，但是目前对于OPDA合成及独立响应信号调节的分子机制则缺乏研究。本研究发现，玉米AP2/ERF类转录因子ZmORA47可以特异性结合玉米OPDA合成相关多个基因的启动子，进而调控OPDA合成。本项目拟在此基础上，对ZmORA47调控OPDA合成及响应逆境胁迫的机制展开研究，同时测定该基因在500份玉米自交系中的基因全长，鉴定与抗逆性状显著关联的自然变异，开发功能标记。此外，通过RNA-seq、蛋白质组学和酵母文库筛选等方法对OPDA独立作为信号分子调节逆境胁迫的分子机制深入分析，为其在玉米分子育种和生产实际中的应用奠定理论基础。

Maize (Zea mays) is one of the important food crops and industrial materials in the world. Social development and environmental degradation, abiotic stress, including salinity and drought, have become important factors affecting the growth and yield stability of maize. 12-oxo-phytodienoic acid (OPDA) is a precursor of jasmonic acid (JA) synthesis in plants, and could also act as a signal molecule to regulate the expression of genes clusters and activate the processes of plant adaptation through JA-independent signaling pathways. However, there was few studies on the molecular mechanism of OPDA synthesis and OPDA-dependent signal transduction. This study found that ZmORA47, a maize AP2/ERF transcription factor, could specifically bind to the promoters of multiple genes involved in the synthesis of OPDA, thereby regulating the synthesis of OPDA. The project intends to study the mechanism of ZmORA47 regulating the synthesis of OPDA and responding to abiotic stress, and sequence the full-length of ZmORA47 in 500 maize inbred lines, which to identify significant natural variations associating with stress resistance and develop the functional markers. In addition, utilizing multiple discipline approaches, including RNA-seq, proteomics and yeast library screening, were used to analyze the molecular mechanism of OPDA as an independent signal molecule to response to abiotic stress, thus laying a solid theoretical base for molecular breeding and production applications.