RUI: Analysis of the Role of a Family of Putative E3 Ubiquitin-Ligase Target Adapters in Phytochrome Signaling in Arabidopsis thaliana

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。感知和响应光的能力对植物的生长发育至关重要。先前的工作已经在模式植物拟南芥中发现了两个基因（LRB1和LRB2），它们在光响应中起作用。这两种基因被破坏的植物对阴影的耐受性更强，这是由于它们对红光波长光的敏感性增加。对LRB基因序列的分析表明，它们通过调节其他蛋白质的分解而起作用，因此LRB在植物细胞中的作用可能是调节参与红光感知/反应的一种或多种蛋白质的水平。本项目将使用多种标准分子、遗传和生化方法，通过确定LRB基因在红光反应途径中的作用，鉴定受LRB1和LRB2调节的蛋白质，以及研究LRB基因编码的蛋白质所在的分子复合物的结构，更全面地阐明LRB基因在植物遮荫反应中的作用。遮荫反应在农业中很重要，因为遮荫可以通过增加倒伏（倒伏）或降低产量来降低农艺性能，因此本项目获得的信息可能有助于指导作物植物光响应的未来工作。此外，该项目的大部分工作将由威斯康星大学欧克莱尔分校（一所四年制公立综合大学）的本科生进行，这将大大提高他们的教育水平，使他们在进入研究生/专业学校或劳动力市场时更具竞争力和更充分的准备。

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).The ability to perceive and respond to light is vital to plant growth and development. Previous work has identified two genes (LRB1 and LRB2) in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana that have roles in light responses. Plants with disruptions of these two genes are more shade tolerant, a result of increased sensitivity to red wavelength light. Analysis of the sequences of the LRB genes suggest that they act by regulating the breakdown of other proteins, therefore the likely role of the LRBs in plant cells is to modulate the levels of a protein or proteins that participate in red light perception/response. This project will use a variety of standard molecular, genetic, and biochemical approaches to more fully elucidate the role of LRB genes in plant shade responses by determining where in red light-response pathway the LRB genes act, identifying the proteins that are regulated by LRB1 and LRB2, and investigating the structure of the molecular complexes of which the proteins which are encoded by the LRB genes are a part. Shade responses are important in agriculture, as shading can reduce agronomic performance by increasing lodging (falling over) or decreasing yield, therefore the information obtained in this project may help guide future work on light responses in crop plants. Also, the majority of work in this project will be conducted by undergraduate students at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire (a four-year public comprehensive university), significantly enhancing their education and making them more competitive and better prepared as they enter graduate/professional school or the workforce.