Transcriptional Regulators Link Patterning and Proliferation during Carpel Margin and Ovule Development

在器官发育过程中协调细胞增殖和三维位置信息的机制知之甚少。 这些控制机制的精确调节是重要的，因为它们影响从生殖发育到细胞癌生长的多种生物事件。研究人员正在使用开花植物拟南芥来研究种子荚发育过程中图案和细胞增殖的协调。研究人员应用分子遗传学和基因组方法来了解转录水平上基因表达的控制。他们的工作旨在阐明一个转录调节蛋白家族的作用，该家族协调产生胚珠（种子的前体）的细胞的增殖。通过在种荚发育过程中打开和关闭基因，这些转录调节因子决定种子在种荚内发育的位置、时间和程度。研究人员希望，更好地了解这些生物学事件将能够产生更高产的种子作物，并阐明动物的器官发育和癌症生长。该项目还包括为博士后研究人员以及研究生和本科生提供培训机会。该项目的成果将通过在研究期刊和互联网上发表广泛传播。此外，主要研究人员领导一个由大学研究人员组成的外联小组，从教授到本科生，在北卡罗来纳州的教室里设计和展示动手示范。这些访问有助于激发当地K-12学生对遗传学和发育生物学的问题。这种与儿童及其教师的面对面接触将为更广泛的社区带来对科学和科学教育的热情。

The mechanisms that coordinate cellular proliferation and three-dimensional positional information during organ development are poorly understood. Accurate regulation of these control mechanisms is important because they affect a diversity of biological events from reproductive development to the cancerous growth of cells. The investigators are using the flowering plant Arabidopsis thaliana to study the coordination of patterning and cell proliferation during the development of the seed pod. The investigators apply molecular genetic and genomic approaches to understand the control of gene expression at the level of transcription. Their work seeks to clarify the role of a family of transcriptional regulatory proteins that coordinate the proliferation of cells that generate ovules, the precursors of the seeds. By turning on and off genes during the development of the seed pod, these transcriptional regulators determine where, when and to what extent seeds will develop within the seed pod. The investigators hope that a better understanding of these biological events will enable the generation of higher yielding seed crops as well as shed light on organ development and cancerous growth in animals. The project also includes training opportunities for postdoctoral researchers and graduate and undergraduate students. Results from the project will be widely disseminated through publication in research journals and the internet. Furthermore, the primary investigator leads an outreach group of University researchers, from professors to undergraduates, that designs and presents hands-on demonstrations in North Carolina classrooms. These visits serve to excite local K-12 students about questions in genetics and developmental biology. This person-to-person contact with children and their teachers will bring an enthusiasm for science and science education to the wider community.