Receptor kinase control of vascular development

植物的血管系统是一个由管子组成的网络，其功能很像动物的静脉和动脉。然而，在植物中，维管细胞也是重要的结构支持，并在所有植物器官的发育过程中形成。这项研究的目标是更多地了解植物维管系统是如何形成的，以及如何操纵它来提高植物生产力。生物化学和遗传学方法都将被用来寻找对形成血管系统的不同类型细胞至关重要的基因，目标是识别可以操纵的基因，以增加植物中血管系统的数量和质量。然后，这些基因可以用来帮助开发能够承受极端条件的作物。在20世纪60年代，稻米和小麦等标准谷类作物的活力限制了粮食生产。创造出更短、不那么容易倒下的新品种，增加了谷物产量，避免了一场重大的粮食危机。今天，随着世界公民面临气候变化和更加不稳定的天气，需要了解维管系统是如何形成的，以便能够在极端和不稳定的环境中操纵它们来改变茎和其他植物器官的强度和功能。该奖项支持的本科生职位将由亚利桑那州低收入背景的学生填补。来自当地高中的教师将通过这个奖项得到支持，为他们的高中课堂制定植物基因组学和生物技术的教案。

The vascular system of plants is a network of tubes that functions much like the veins and arteries of animals. However, in plants, vascular cells also are important for structural support, and form during the development of all plant organs. The goal of this research is to learn more about how the vascular system in plants forms, and how it can be manipulated to increase plant productivity. Both biochemical and genetic approaches will be used to find genes that are important for making the different types of cells that form the vascular system, with the goal of identifying genes that can be manipulated to increase the amount and quality of the vasculature in plants. These genes can then be used to help develop crops that can withstand extreme conditions. In the 1960s, the vigor of standard cereal crops such as rice and wheat were limiting for food production. The creation of new varieties that were shorter and did not fall over as easily led to increased production of grains and averted a major food crisis. Today, as the citizens of the world face climate change with its more volatile weather, an understanding of how the vasculature forms is needed so that they can be manipulated to alter the strength and function of stems and other plant organs in extreme and volatile environments. Undergraduate positions supported by this award will be filled by Arizona students from low-income backgrounds. Teachers from local high schools will be supported through this award to develop lesson plans about plant genomics and biotechnology for their high school classes.