SGER: Custom Reagents for Flavonoid Analysis

类黄酮类化合物是由植物产生的代谢物，在花、水果和叶子中被称为蓝色、红色和紫色色素。因此，这些化合物对于吸引传粉者和种子传播者很重要。然而，类黄酮也被植物用于许多其他目的，如保护暴露的组织免受紫外线辐射，作为信号分子，以及作为对抗病原体、捕食者和其他挑战的化学武器库的一部分。虽然所有高等植物都合成类黄酮，但这些化合物在不同的植物中显然参与了不同的过程。因此，了解类黄酮在不同植物中是如何合成的是很重要的。我们的实验室研究植物细胞中类黄酮生物合成途径的组织和调节，产物如何运输到细胞内的最终目的地，以及这一系统是如何在植物进化过程中发展起来的。尽管类黄酮合成的遗传和生化分析取得了成功，但由于昂贵的试剂成本和缺乏放射性标记化合物，目前对详细机制的研究受到阻碍，而酶水平的分析和定位则因缺乏足够的抗体试剂而混乱。这个项目的目的是组装一套标准化的类黄酮化合物和抗体。这些试剂将被储存在特定的地点，以便在该小组中分发，如果可行，还将分发给其他致力于类黄酮合成的公共资助小组。该项目将立即影响我们实验室所做工作的质量，同时开辟全新的调查途径。

Flavonoids are metabolites produced exclusively by plants that are well known as the blue, red, and purple pigments in flowers, fruits, and leaves. As such, these compounds are important for attracting pollinators and seed dispersers. However, flavonoids are also used by plants for a large number of other purposes, such as protecting exposed tissues from UV radiation, as signaling molecules, and as part of the chemical arsenal against pathogens, predators, and other challenges. Although all higher plants synthesize flavonoids, these compounds clearly participate in distinct processes in different plants. Therefore, it is important to understand how flavonoids are synthesized in different plant species. Our laboratories study the organization and regulation of the flavonoid biosynthetic pathway in plant cells, how the products are transported to their final destination inside the cell, and how this system has developed over the course of plant evolution. Despite the success of genetic and biochemical analysis of flavonoid synthesis, current studies into detailed mechanisms are hampered by the extraordinarily expensive reagent costs and the lack of radiolabeled compounds, while analysis of enzyme levels and localization are confounded by the lack of adequate antibody reagents. This project is aimed at assembling a standardized collection of flavonoid compounds and antibodies. These reagents will be stored at specific locations for distribution among the group and, if feasible, to other publicly-funded groups working on flavonoid synthesis. The project will immediately impact the quality of the work that is done in our laboratories and at the same time open up entirely new avenues of investigation.