Collaborative Research: Integrating two different roles of the proton-pumping pyrophosphatase in the regulation and efficiency of carbon utilization and transport in planta

植物生产力在很大程度上取决于还原碳（糖）在生产部位（光合组织）和利用部位（生长组织，如根和幼叶等）之间的分配。为了明智地设计提高作物产量，需要更好地了解整个植物中糖运输的调节和效率。主要研究人员和其他人的工作表明，质子焦磷酸酶（H+-PPases）的上调导致根和芽的生长和光合作用的增加。研究人员推测，植物H+-PPases在调节蔗糖的合成、分配和利用中起着至关重要的作用。这些假设将使用遗传学、代谢组学、分子生物学和超结构方法的组合进行测试。该研究不仅将揭示碳利用和运输的基本生理问题，而且还具有潜在的下游应用价值，因为H+-PPase活性的增加可以提高植物生物量、养分吸收能力和抗逆性。随着人口的增长，可耕地的减少，以及国家对利用植物作为生物燃料的渴望，了解H+-PPases在植物生长中的作用可能是革命性的。该项目的成果将通过及时出版和主要研究人员在其本科和研究生教育计划中的参与向科学界提供。本科生、研究生和博士后的专业发展将在遗传学、生理学、细胞生物学和前沿代谢组学的界面上进行。项目参与者将与亚利桑那州立大学的“询问生物学家”项目合作，开发生物质燃料的主题内容，以及它与整个生物系统中的能量运动的关系。

Plant productivity is determined in large part by the partitioning of reduced carbon (sugar) between the sites of production (photosynthetic tissues) and the sites of utilization (growing tissues such as roots and young leaves, etc). To judiciously engineer increased yield of crop plants, a better understanding of the regulation and efficiency of sugar transport throughout the plant is required. Work by the principal investigators and others has shown that the up-regulation of proton-pyrophosphatases (H+-PPases) results in enhanced root and shoot growth and increased photosynthetic output. The principal investigators hypothesize that plant H+-PPases play a crucial role in regulating sucrose synthesis, partitioning and utilization. The hypotheses will be tested using a combination of genetic, metabolomic, molecular biological, and ultra-structural approaches. The research will shed light not only on the fundamental physiological subject of carbon utilization and transport, but also has potential downstream applications since increased H+-PPase activity enhances plant biomass, nutrient uptake capacities, and stress tolerance. With growing populations, decreasing arable land, and a national desire to exploit plants for biofuels, understanding the role of H+-PPases in plant growth could be transformative. The outcomes of this project will be made available to the scientific community through timely publication and by the participation of the principal investigators in their undergraduate and graduate education programs. The professional development of undergraduate and graduate students, and postdoctoral fellows will occur at the interface of genetics, physiology, cell biology and cutting-edge metabolomics. The project participants will work together with the Arizona State University "Ask a Biologist" program to develop topical content on biomass for fuel and how it relates to the movement of energy throughout biological systems.