Female Reproductive Tract Development in Arabidopsis

马丁·F·亚诺夫斯基建议编号：IOS-0817544 PROPOSAL标题：拟南芥中的雌性生殖道发育植物受精是产生果实和种子的基础，而果实和种子是许多作物物种的收获产品，对农业至关重要。为了成功受精，包含在花粉管中的男性精子细胞必须到达女性卵细胞。然而，陆地植物进化的进步标志着对卵细胞的日益保护，大多数植物物种将这些细胞深埋在雌性组织的许多层中。该项目专注于女性组织如何帮助花粉管生长到相对难以接近的卵细胞的问题。具体的焦点是生殖道，这是雌性植物组织中与花粉管相互作用的部分。植物中雌性生殖道的发育尽管其复杂性和基本重要性，但受到的研究关注相对较少。该项目将利用遗传学和分子生物学的组合，在模式植物拟南芥中识别控制植物如何形成生殖道的主要调控基因。已经确定了几个控制生殖道不同部分的基因，并为受精过程提供了独特的见解。这些拟南芥基因很可能在不同的植物物种中具有同源基因，包括许多重要的农业作物。因此，该项目将为未来广泛的研究奠定基础，这些研究旨在了解控制不同植物物种受精的基因，并导致重要作物的整体产量显著增加。该项目的更广泛影响将来自于确定在心皮和果实中形成拟南芥生殖道模式的关键调控基因。它将为学生和博士后研究员提供极好的培训机会，这项研究创造的资源将被纳入实验室课程和推广工作。

MARTIN F. YANOFSKY PROPOSAL NUMBER: IOS-0817544PROPOSAL TITLE: Female reproductive tract development in ArabidopsisFertilization in plants is fundamental to producing fruits and seeds, which are the harvested product for many crop species and critical for agriculture. For successful fertilization the male sperm cell, contained within the pollen tube, must reach the female egg cell. However, the progress of land plant evolution is marked by increasing protection of the egg cell, with the majority of plant species burying these cells deep within many layers of female tissues. The project focuses on the problem of how the female tissues help the pollen tube grow to the relatively inaccessible egg cell. The specific focus is on the reproductive tract, which is the part of the female plant tissue that interacts with pollen tubes. Development of the female reproductive tract in plants has received relatively little research attention despite its complexity and fundamental importance. This project will identify the major regulatory genes that control how the plant makes the reproductive tract using a combination of genetics and molecular biology in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. Several genes have already been identified that control different parts of the reproductive tract and are providing unique insights into the process of fertilization. It is likely that these Arabidopsis genes will have counterparts (orthologs) in diverse plant species, including many agriculturally important crops. Therefore, this project will form the foundation for a wide range of future studies aimed at understanding the genes that control fertilization in diverse plant species and lead to significant increases in overall yield of important crops. The broader impact of this project will derive from the identification of key regulatory genes that pattern the Arabidopsis reproductive tract in the carpel and fruit. It will provide excellent training opportunities for students and postdoctoral fellows, and the resources created by this research will be incorporated into laboratory courses and outreach efforts.