Functional analysis of Arabidopsis NSC1/DMI1 Ca2+ permeable channels

该奖项是根据2009年美国复苏和再投资法案（公法111-5）资助的。项目负责人姓名：裴振明项目编号：项目名称：拟南芥NSC1 Ca2+渗透通道的功能分析知识价值：全球环境变化将影响作物生产和植物生态系统，并不可避免地影响人类的整体健康。为了应对全球气候变化导致的作物生产变化，了解植物如何感知环境信号至关重要。众所周知，各种外部信号触发细胞质内Ca2+浓度（[Ca2+]i）的升高，这是由质膜和/或膜内的Ca2+通道介导的。然而，这些Ca2+通道的分子性质在植物中仍然难以捉摸。PI的长期目标是阐明植物中的Ca2+机制。PI和他的研究小组使用表达克隆方法在拟南芥中分离出编码非选择性钙通道1 （NSC1）的基因。NSC1可能定位于植物核膜，形成Ca2+渗透通道，介导Ca2+通量。有趣的是，NSC1调节根中基底[Ca2+]i和枯草芽孢杆菌生物膜的形成。该项目的具体目标是(a)使用异源表达系统表征NSC1的离子通道特性，(b)将NSC1重构为平面脂质双层，(c)确定NSC1在拟南芥中的亚细胞定位，以及(d)确定NSC1在控制基础[Ca2+]i和调节枯草芽孢杆菌生物膜形成中的作用。由于NSC1是迄今为止克隆的第一个控制[Ca2+]i的膜Ca2+通道，该研究将有助于更好地了解植物Ca2+机制和植物对环境的反应。更广泛的影响：酸雨影响世界各地森林的树木生长。它从森林和土壤中消耗Ca2+，影响树木Ca2+稳态，并改变它们对环境信号的反应，可能包括与有益微生物的交流。PI正在领导一个小组研究酸雨如何影响森林（在中国），旨在确定基因工程森林物种的分子靶点。该项目将为主要教学大学的教授和学生提供进行研究的独特机会。博士后1名，研究生1名，本科生数名。其中一半以上是女性，一个是少数民族。项目的结果将被纳入项目计划。她有三门本科课程：分子植物生理学、感觉信号转导和细胞与发育生物学。本科生，包括未得到充分服务的少数民族，将参与研究项目，以及来自主要为本科生服务的机构的教授。

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).PI name: Zhen-Ming PeiProject no. IOS-0848263Project title: Functional analysis of Arabidopsis NSC1 Ca2+ permeable channelsIntellectual merit: Global environmental change will affect crop production and plant ecosystems, and inevitably impact the overall health of the human population. In order to deal with changes in crop production caused by global climate change, tt is crucial to understand how plants sense environmental signals. It is known that various external signals trigger elevations in cytosolic Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i), which are mediated by Ca2+ channels in the plasma membrane and/or endomembranes. However, the molecular nature of these Ca2+ channels remains largely elusive in plants. The long-term goal of the PI is to elucidate the Ca2+ machinery in plants. The PI and his research group have used an expression cloning approach and isolated a gene encoding NON-SELECTIVE CALCIUM CHANNEL 1 (NSC1) in Arabidopsis. NSC1 is localized likely to the nuclear membrane in planta, forms Ca2+-permeable channels and mediates Ca2+ flux. Interestingly, NSC1 regulates basal [Ca2+]i and B. subtilis biofilm formation in roots. The specific aims of the project are to (a) characterize the ion channel properties of NSC1 using heterologous expression systems, (b) reconstitute the NSC1 into planar lipid bilayers, (c) determine the subcellular localization of NSC1 in Arabidopsis, and (d) determine the roles of NSC1 in controlling basal [Ca2+]i and regulating B. subtilis biofilm formation. As NSC1 is the first endomembrane Ca2+ channel cloned so far that controls [Ca2+]i, this study should allow a better understanding of plant Ca2+ machinery and plant response to the environment.Broader impacts: Acid rain affects tree growth in forests across the world. It depletes Ca2+ from forests and soils, affects Ca2+ homeostasis in trees, and alters their responses to environmental signals, possibly including communication with beneficial microorganisms. The PI is leading a group to study how acid rain affects forests (in China), aiming to identify molecular targets for genetically engineering forest species. This project will provide unique opportunities for professors and students from primarily teaching universities to conduct research. One postdoc, one graduate student and several undergraduate students will participate in this project. Over half of them are female and one is minority. The results from the project will be incorporated into the PI?s three undergraduate courses: Molecular Plant Physiology, Sensory Signal Transduction, and Cell and Developmental Biology. Undergraduate students, including members of underserved minorities, will participate in the research program, as well as professors from primarily undergraduate-serving institutions.