Regulation of Flowering time by light quality

斯科特·D·迈克尔斯IOS 1034918根据光质量调节开花时间适当的开花时间是植物繁殖成功的关键。因此，开花时间受到环境和内部信号的高度调控也就不足为奇了。一个可以加速开花的环境信号是为邻近的植物提供遮荫。植物通过红光与远红光的比例变化来感知阴影。因为树叶比远红光吸收更多的红光，所以生长在树冠下的植物会感受到丰富的远红光。该项目的首要目标是在分子水平上确定植物如何感知和响应远红光。该项目将利用遗传、生理和生化方法来探索光质对调节开花的基因和蛋白质的影响，识别远红光促进开花所需的新成分，并将植物激素整合到调节开花时间的途径中以响应光质。该项目还将提供本科生、研究生和博士后水平的培训和研究经验。由于许多开花时间途径是高度保守的，预计本研究中获得的知识将广泛适用于高等植物。本研究阐明的分子回路将有助于研究和操纵农业植物的光反应。例如，增加种植密度是提高作物产量的主要途径。然而，由于拥挤的植物相互遮蔽，它们会经历远红光，这可能会导致早熟开花减产。更好地了解植物对光质量的反应将允许操纵这些性状，从而使植物能够在更高的密度下生长，同时将不良后果降至最低。

Scott D. Michaels IOS 1034918Regulation of flowering time by light qualityThe proper timing of flowering is key to the reproductive success of plants. Therefore it is not surprising that flowering time is highly regulated by both environmental and internal signals. One environmental signal that can accelerate flowering is shade provided neighboring plants. Plants detect shade as a shift in the ratio of red light to far-red light. Because leaves absorb more red light than far-red light, plants growing under a canopy experience light that is enriched in far-red light. The overarching goal of this project is to determine, at the molecular level, how plants perceive and respond to far-red enriched light. The project will employ genetic, physiological, and biochemical approaches to explore the impact of light quality on the genes and proteins that regulate flowering, identify novel components required for the acceleration of flowering by far-red-enriched light, and integrate plant hormones into the pathways that regulate flowering time in response to light quality. This project will also provide training and research experiences at the undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral levels. Because many flowering time pathways are highly conserved, it is expected that the knowledge gained in this study will be broadly applicable to higher plants. The molecular circuitry elucidated by this study will facilitate the study and manipulation of light responses in agricultural plants. For example, increasing plant density is a primary avenue to increasing crop yield. Because crowded plants shade one another, however, they experience far-red enriched light that can lead to yield-reducing precocious flowering. A better understanding of plant responses to light quality will allow for the manipulation of these traits, so that plants can be grown at higher density while minimizing undesirable consequences.