Molecular Genetics of Ethylene-auxin Interactions in Arabidopsis

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。知识产权植物的生存在很大程度上取决于它们协调内部计划的能力，如生长和发育，与不断变化的环境的外部条件。 了解植物如何整合内部和外部信号对于应对我们星球面临的全球环境变化的后果至关重要。越来越清楚的是，不同激素（或激素和其他信号通路）之间的相互作用是信号整合过程的中心，这一过程是植物在恶劣环境中生存所需的巨大可塑性的基础。 虽然激素和发育信号之间的串扰发生在几个不同的水平上，但激素生物合成的调节正在成为信号整合生物学中的重要因素之一。 因此，解释激素是如何合成的，它们的合成是如何调节的，并确定这种调节的生理意义是至关重要的。 在这个项目中，几个基本的问题，关于生物合成的基本植物激素生长素将得到解决。 在几个明确的发展过程中，并在响应应力激素乙烯的生物学意义的本地生长素的生物合成将进行调查。 生长素生产的不同途径之间的关系（目前认为是独立的）将被检查。 最后，参与生长素生物合成的其他基因将被鉴定。 从这个项目中获得的信息将是必不可少的智能操纵特定的植物对环境因素的反应，有利于农业和保护生物学。更广泛的影响该项目的目标是各级学生，包括小学学生的推广，本科生参与研究和博士后指导。 此外，还特别努力扩大参与，将传统上在科学领域代表性不足的学生包括在内。 具体来说，PI将针对北卡罗来纳州州立大学的西班牙裔社区以及北卡罗来纳州中央大学的学生，这是一所历史上的黑人大学。 来自这两个机构的少数民族学生将被招募参加现有的本科生暑期研究经验。 为了激发和培养小学生对科学的兴趣，将制定一个双语（英语和西班牙语）实验计划，其中包括几个“自己动手”的生物单元。 为了促进家长与学生的对话，科学实验将在小册子中描述，学生可以与家长分享。

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).Intellectual MeritSurvival of plants largely depends on their ability to coordinate internal programs, such as growth and development, with the external conditions of the ever-changing environment. Understanding how plants integrate internal and external signals is critical for coping with the consequences of the global environmental changes facing our planet. It is becoming increasingly clear that interactions between different hormones (or hormones and other signaling pathways) are at the center of the signal integration process underlying the tremendous plasticity in plant characteristics required for their survival in hostile environments. While crosstalk between hormones and developmental signals occurs at several different levels, the regulation of hormone biosynthesis is emerging as one of the essential factors in signal integration biology. It is, therefore, paramount to decipher how hormones are synthesized, how their synthesis is regulated, and to determine the physiological significance of such regulation. In this project, several of the basic questions regarding biosynthesis of the essential plant hormone auxin will be addressed. The biological significance of local auxin biosynthesis in several well-defined developmental processes and in response to the stress hormone ethylene will be investigated. The relationship between different routes of auxin production (currently believed to be independent) will be examined. Finally, additional genes involved in auxin biosynthesis will be identified. The information gained from this project will be essential for the intelligent manipulation of specific plant responses to environmental factors for the benefit of agriculture and conservation biology. Broader ImpactsThe project targets students at all levels and includes outreach to students in elementary school, involvement of undergraduates in research, and postdoctoral mentoring. In addition there is a special effort for broadening participation by including students who are traditionally underrepresented in science. Specifically the PI will target the Hispanic community at North Carolina State University as well as students from North Carolina Central University, a historically black college. Minority students from both institutions will be recruited to participate in an existing Summer Research Experience for Undergraduates. To stimulate and foster interest in science in elementary school children, a bi-lingual (English and Spanish) experimental plan consisting of several "do-it-yourself" biology modules for children will be developed. To facilitate parental dialogue with students the science experiments will be described in brochures that students can share with their parents.