Regulation of floral growth and patterning in Arabidopsis thaliana

Beth KrizekIOS-1354452拟南芥花朵生长和模式的调节从顶端分生组织开始，顶端分生组织是植物顶端的一种圆顶状结构，在植物的整个生命过程中产生新的器官。花器官原基从分生组织中发育出来后，出现在花内特有的位置，并发育成四种器官类型之一：萼片、花瓣、雄蕊或心皮。鲜为人知的是控制花器官起始在花内特定位置的位置的机制，以及花器官生长和发育成其特有形式的方式。这里提出的实验将通过研究两种在调节花内基因表达方面具有部分重叠功能的蛋白质来研究这些鲜为人知的植物发育方面。该项目将使用分子和遗传方法来研究这些蛋白质是否相互作用，并使用基因组方法来确定受这些蛋白质调控的基因。这些研究将为控制花器官发生和发育的途径提供新的见解。由于花是人类饮食中的基本成分，了解花是如何形成的将有助于为养活日益增长的世界人口所需的农业改进贡献重要的知识。该项目的合作性质将为植物开发、基因组学和生物信息学方面的学生和博士后提供跨学科的研究经验。该项目还将为一名高中教师提供暑期研究实习机会，该教师将利用这一经验开发基于探究的学习模块。

Beth KrizekIOS-1354452Regulation of floral growth and patterning in Arabidopsis thalianaFlowers initiate from the shoot apical meristem, a dome-shaped structure at the top of a plant that produces new organs throughout the plant's life. After outgrowth of a flower primordium from the meristem, floral organ primordia appear in characteristic positions within the flower and develop into one of four organ types: sepals, petals, stamens or carpels. Little is known about the mechanisms that control the positioning of floral organ initiation at particular locations within the flower and the means by which floral organs grow and develop into their characteristic forms. The experiments proposed here will investigate these little-understood aspects of plant development by studying two proteins that have partially overlapping functions in regulating gene expression within a flower. This project will use molecular and genetic approaches to investigate whether these proteins interact with each other and genomic approaches to identify genes that are regulated by these proteins. These studies will provide novel insights into pathways controlling the initiation and development of floral organs. As flowers give rise to essential components of the human diet, an understanding of how a flower is formed will contribute knowledge important for agricultural improvements needed to feed a growing world population. The collaborative nature of the project will provide interdisciplinary research experiences for students and a postdoctoral fellow in plant development, genomics and bioinformatics. The project will also provide a summer research internship for a high school teacher who will use this experience to develop inquiry-based learning modules.