Elucidating molecular mechanisms of the iron deficiency response in plants

阐明植物缺铁反应的分子机制智力价值：对营养可用性波动的反应能力对所有活细胞都至关重要。多细胞生物可以通过改变一些生理、发育和分子过程来应对这些挑战，这些过程通常在转录水平上受到控制。虽然传统的分子生物学和生理学方法已经揭示了参与营养摄取和运输的基因的重要性，但很少有转录调节因子被确定为协调营养可用性的生物体反应。本研究主要围绕以下问题展开：哪些转录因子调控植物对缺铁的反应？这些转录因子是如何与其他蛋白质相互作用来调节基因表达的？植物根部是否有一种蛋白质复合物作为铁感应机制，对低铁产生反应并导致经典反应？由于植物铁转运蛋白非特异性转运其他金属，研究这一机制将进一步告诉我们其他金属的动态平衡。此外，我们将研究的蛋白质-蛋白质相互作用与最近在哺乳动物细胞中描述的铁感应和反应机制具有相同的特征，因此将为保守的铁感应和反应机制提供新的线索。更广泛的影响：导致贫血的缺铁是世界上最普遍的营养失调。世界上大约30%的人口缺铁，这导致孕产妇死亡率和婴儿死亡增加，生长和认知发育受损，免疫反应下降。此外，缺铁对生长在钙质土壤中的主要作物来说是一个全球性的问题。该项目旨在提高我们对植物对缺铁的反应的理解，以实现生产具有更强营养能力和对营养贫瘠土壤耐受性的植物的长期目标，从而提高我们应对日益增长的全球营养需求的能力。除了农业和营养方面的贡献外，该项目还将为整个科学界创造资源，包括一个关于细胞内铁含量如何被感知的新模型。此外，该项目将为学生提供独特的研究机会，特别是那些在规模较小的传统黑人学院和大学就读的少数族裔。因此，该项目将有助于增加分子和植物生物学研究人员的深度和呼吸。

Elucidating molecular mechanisms of the iron deficiency response in plantsIntellectual Merit: The ability to respond to fluctuations in nutritional availability is critical for all living cells. Multicellular organisms can respond to such challenges by altering a number of physiological, developmental and molecular processes that are often controlled at the level of transcription. While conventional molecular biology and physiological approaches have revealed the importance of genes involved in nutrient uptake and transport, few transcriptional regulators have been identified that coordinate organismal responses to nutrient availability. This research focuses on the following questions: What transcription factors regulate the response to iron deprivation in plants? How do these transcription factors interact with each other and other proteins to regulate gene expression? Is there a protein complex that acts as an iron sensing mechanism in plant roots that reacts and leads to the classic response to low iron? Since plant iron transporters translocate other metals nonspecifically, studying this mechanism will further inform us about homeostasis of other metals. Moreover, the protein-protein interactions that we will examine shares features with an iron sensing and response mechanism recently described in mammalian cells and would, therefore, shed new light on conserved iron sensing and response mechanisms. Broader Impacts: Iron deficiency, which causes anemia, is the most prevalent nutritional disorder in the world. Approximately 30% of the world's population is iron deficient, which results in increased maternal mortality and infant loss, impaired growth and cognitive development and decreased immune response. In addition, iron deficiency is a global problem for the growth of major crops grown in calcareous soils. This project proposes to increase our understanding of how plants respond to iron deprivation with the long term goal of producing plants with enhanced nutritional capacity and tolerance of nutrient-poor soils, thus increasing our ability to address increasing global nutritional needs. In addition to agricultural and nutritional contributions, this project will create resources for the scientific community at large, including a new model for how iron content is sensed within cells. Moreover, the project will provide unique research opportunities for students, in particular, underrepresented minority groups attending smaller historically black colleges and universities. Thus, the project will help to increase the dept and breath of molecular and plant biology researchers.