Molecular Biology of Cuticular Wax Biosynthesis

9316832可分解植物角质层蜡的成分是复杂的，不完全知道，关于这种材料的生物合成知之甚少(S)。已知的参与玉米蜡质生物合成的17个基因座之一的glossy8基因座，已经通过转座元件的标记进行了分子克隆。此外，与角质层蜡质生物合成有关的拟南芥的cer2基因已经定位在基因组的70kb片段上。Cer2基因座将通过遗传互补测试进行鉴定。然后，这两个基因将被用于研究这些独特的、具有生物意义的植物脂肪的生物合成所涉及的生化和遗传机制。植物的角质层蜡构成了对环境及其施加给植物的压力的第一道屏障。因此，这些蜡对植物的生存起着重要的作用。这些蜡的组成和形成它们的生物合成途径尚不完全清楚。这个项目将利用分子克隆的基因来检测生物合成途径的基因产物，从而扩大我们对它的理解。***

9316832 Schnable The composition of the cuticular wax of plants is complex and incompletely known, and little is known regarding the biosynthesis of this material(s). The glossy8 locus, one of the seventeen loci known to be involved in the biosynthesis of this wax in maize, has been molecularly cloned by tagging with a transposable element. In addition, the cer2 locus of Arabidopsis, which is involved in cuticular wax biosynthesis, has been localized to a 70-kb segment of the genome. The cer2 locus will be identified by genetic complementation tests. Both genes will then be used to study the biochemical and genetic mechanisms involved in the biosynthesis of these unique and biologically significant plant lipids. The cuticular waxes of plants constitute the first barrier to the environment and the stresses it imposes on plants. Thus, these waxes lay an important role in plant survival. The composition of these waxes and the biosynthetic pathways by which they are formed are incompletely understood. This project will make use of molecularly cloned genes to examine the gene products of the biosynthetic pathway and thus enlarge our understanding of it. ***