Role of the F-Box Protein UFO in Flower Development

0078273锦带花产生水果和种子，其中包括所有谷物，从而提供了人类消耗的大部分卡路里。因此，从科学和农学的角度来看，了解花发育的机制是有趣的。花的早期发育受一系列调控基因的调控，包括开花时间基因、分生组织特性基因和同源异型器官特性基因。这些基因中的大多数编码转录因子，并且在理解这些基因组之间的遗传和分子相互作用方面取得了一些进展。然而，花同源异型基因的下游效应子知之甚少。Weigel博士正在研究UFO基因，该基因调节拟南芥花发育的几个方面。与许多其他花的控制基因不同，UFO不编码转录因子。相反，UFO编码的F-box蛋白可能会影响其他调节蛋白的稳定性。Weigel博士已经证明UFO在体内是一种F-box蛋白，在花瓣的形成过程中，它在同源异型基因AP 1的下游发挥作用。他现在提出了遗传、分子和生物化学的方法来确定UFO的功能是否需要在所有细胞层中才能促进花瓣的生长;（2）确定UFO在花瓣中的表达是如何被控制的，重点是同源异型基因AP 1在这一过程中的作用;（3）鉴定在体内与UFO相互作用并介导其作用的蛋白质;（4）鉴定与UFO共同作用的花瓣形成新基因，为进一步了解F-box蛋白影响植物生长发育的机制奠定基础。进一步加深我们对植物发育的了解反过来将提高我们改善作物生长和产量的能力。

0078273WeigelFlowers give rise to fruits and seeds, which include all cereals, and thereby provide the majority of calories consumed by humans. Understanding the mechanisms of flower development is therefore interesting both from a scientific and from an agronomic point of view. Early flower development is regulated by a cascade of regulatory genes that include flowering-time genes, meristem-identity genes and homeotic organ-identity genes. Most of these genes encode transcription factors, and some progress has been made in understanding the genetic and molecular interactions between these groups of genes. However, less is known about the downstream effectors of floral homeotic genes. Dr. Weigel is studying the UFO gene, which regulates several aspects of flower development in Arabidopsis. In contrast to many other floral control genes, UFO does not encode a transcription factor. Instead, UFO encodes an F-box protein that is likely to affect the stability of other regulatory proteins. Dr. Weigel has shown that UFO acts as an F-box protein in vivo, and that it functions downstream of the homeotic gene AP1 in the formation of petals.He now proposes genetic, molecular and biochemical approaches (1) to determine whether UFO function is required in all cell layers to promote petal growth; (2) to determine how UFO expression in petals is controlled, with emphasis on the role of the homeotic gene AP1 in this process; (3) to identify proteins that interact with UFO in vivo and mediate its effects; and (4) to identify new genes that act with UFO in petal formation.The proposed work will advance our understanding of the mechanisms by which F-box proteins affect plant growth and development. Furthering our knowledge of plant development in turn will enhance our ability to improve growth and yield of crop plants.