CAREER: Exploring the mechanistic roles of NF-Y transcription factors in photoperiod-dependent flowering

开花时间在植物发育中特别重要，因为它直接影响繁殖成功。例如，在错误的时间开花可能意味着重要的传粉者不存在，或者脆弱的胚胎将受到冰冻温度的影响。因此，植物有复杂和高度特定的机制来协调开花与它们进化所在的自然生态系统。了解开花时间在农业环境中具有更重要的意义，因为开花时间可以对具有商业价值的营养器官、水果和种子的整体生产产生深远影响。为了适当地确定开花的时间，许多植物都有一个内部时钟，可以监测白天的长度(光周期)，并季节性地激活驱动从营养生长到生殖生长的转换的基因。特别是，花整合子基因开花基因T(FT)的激活是光周期调控的开花转换过程中必不可少的早期步骤。该项目结合遗传和生物化学方法，专门研究被称为核因子Y(NF-Y)的调节蛋白是如何机械地控制FT表达来启动开花的。除了可能对农业生产和我们对自然生态系统的集体理解产生影响外，该项目还将在研究和课堂实验室培训本科生和研究生。研究目标的要素将被纳入高年级植物生理学课程。此外，将发起分子植物生物学论坛，作为改善俄克拉荷马州研究人员之间合作互动的努力的一部分。通过这笔资金开发的所有发现和资源将通过同行审查的出版物、分发到公共库存中心/数据储存库和直接分发材料的组合免费向公众开放。

The timing of flowering is especially important in plant development because it directly impacts reproductive success. For example, flowering at the wrong time could mean that important pollinators are not present or that fragile embryos will be subjected to freezing temperatures. Thus, plants have complex and highly specific mechanisms to harmonize flowering with the natural ecosystems in which they evolved. Understanding flowering time has further important implications in agricultural settings, as flowering time can have profound effects on the overall production of commercially valuable vegetative organs, fruits, and seeds. To properly time flowering, many plants have an internal clock that monitors day length (photoperiod) and seasonally activates genes that drive the transition from vegetative growth to reproductive growth. In particular, activation of the floral integrator gene FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT) is an essential early step in the photoperiod-regulated transition to flowering. This project uses a combination of genetic and biochemical approaches to specifically investigate how regulatory proteins called NUCLEAR FACTOR Y (NF-Y) mechanistically control FT expression to initiate flowering. In addition to potentially impacting agricultural production and our collective understanding of natural ecosystems, this project will train undergraduate and graduate students in both the research and classroom laboratories. Elements of the research aims will be incorporated into an upper division Plant Physiology course. Additionally, molecular plant biology forums will be initiated as part of an effort to improve collaborative interactions among Oklahoma researchers. All discoveries and resources developed from this funding will be made freely publicly available through a combination of peer-reviewed publications, distribution to public stock centers/data repositories, and direct distribution of materials.