LiT:HRB1 and PP7 in de-etiolation and Stomatal Opening

智力上的优点。 在自然环境中，红光和蓝光调节幼苗去黄化和气孔开度。将光的感知与去黄化和气孔开放反应联系起来的信号转导级联仍然在很大程度上是未知的，并且对红色和蓝色（hrb）过敏的突变体特别感兴趣。hrb突变体最初是根据其在红光和蓝光下的短下胚轴表型分离的。hrb突变体对脱水的抗性也更强，表现出减少的水分流失和蓝光调节的气孔孔径。HRB 1基因已被克隆，hrb2和hrb3突变已分别定位于2号和4号染色体。HRB 1是一种核ZZ型锌指蛋白，与磷酸酶7或PP7相互作用，PP7是一种先前鉴定的细胞核蓝光信号的正调节因子。HRB 1在体内被磷酸化，并且主要以其去磷酸化形式参与蛋白质复合物。本研究的目的是研究HRB 1和PP7在蓝光条件下对水稻叶片脱黄化和气孔开度的调控作用及其互作效应。对这些遗传和生化相互作用的研究将为HRB 1的功能和光信号机制的网络结构带来新的见解。 这项研究将为本科生，研究生和博士后研究员提供机会，以获得重要的研究经验，并培养他们批判性地分析和解决科学问题的能力。一个多样化的本科生群体将包括非裔美国人和西班牙裔美国人，他们来自学术课程和整个校园的生命科学暑期本科生研究项目。为本科生设计了一个具体的培训计划，从生理学，遗传学到分子研究。该项目还将通过在小型和研究有限的本科院校举办研讨会以及在这些院校招收学生到明尼苏达大学进行暑期研究来支持本科教育。在更广泛的层面上，拟议的研究将开辟新的可能性，通过控制气孔功能，从而控制CO2吸收和蒸腾失水，使植物在干旱中生存下来。

Intellectual merit. Red and blue light regulate seedling de-etiolation and stomatal aperture in natural environments. The signal transduction cascades that link the perception of light to the de-etiolation and stomatal opening responses are still largely unknown, and hypersensitive to red and blue (hrb) mutants are of particular interest. The hrb mutants were initially isolated for their short hypocotyl phenotype under red and blue light. The hrb mutants are also more resistant to dehydration and show reduced water loss and blue light-regulated stomatal aperture. The HRB1 gene has been cloned and the hrb2 and hrb3 mutations have been mapped to chromosomes 2 and 4, respectively. HRB1 is a nuclear ZZ-type zinc finger protein and physically interacts with phosphatase 7 or PP7, a previously identified positive regulator of blue light signaling in the nucleus. HRB1 is phosphorylated in vivo and is involved in a protein complex mostly in its de-phosphorylated form. The goal of this project is to study the function of HRB1 and PP7 and their interaction in the control of de-etiolation and stomatal aperture under blue light. The studies on these genetic and biochemical interactions will bring novel insights into HRB1 function and the network structure of the light signaling machinery.Broader impacts. This research will provide opportunities for undergraduates, graduate students, and postdoctoral fellows to gain significant research experiences and to develop their ability to critically analyze and solve scientific problems. A diverse group of undergraduates will include African Americans and Hispanics drawn from academic courses and from a campus-wide life science summer undergraduate research program. A specific training plan has been designed for the undergraduates, ranging from physiological, genetic, to molecular studies. This project will also support undergraduate education through seminars at small and research-limited undergraduate institutions and recruitment of students at these institutions to perform summer research at the University of Minnesota. On an even broader level, the proposed studies will open new possibilities to engineer plants to survive desiccation by controlling stomatal function and hence CO2 uptake and the loss of water through transpiration.