Transcriptional Nodes Coordinate Patterning and Cellular Proliferation during Carpel Margin Meristem Development

在种荚的发育过程中，细胞和分子的相互作用使得种子发育是极其复杂和动态的。在一个发育中的种子荚中，细胞必须解释和响应大量的信号，这些信号协调了基因表达和细胞增殖的位置信息，以允许种子的正常发育。此外，这种模式线索和细胞增殖的协调是许多不同生物过程的基础，从癌症生长到生殖发育，因此引起了广泛的生物学家的兴趣。了解植物中协调这些过程的分子机制也具有实际意义，并且是提高农业生产的基础。在这个项目中，弗兰克斯博士和他的同事将研究开花植物拟南芥种子发育的分子相互作用。通过了解这些分子机制，弗兰克斯博士的团队寻求使未来的策略能够改变农业或生物能源作物的种子数量，从而支持为不断增长的全球人口提供食物和燃料的努力。他的工作集中在定义基因调控层次，控制在种荚内产生胚珠的特殊组织的发育（即心皮边缘分生组织）。将采用遗传学、基因组学和生物信息学方法的多学科综合方法来实现这些目标。此外，这项研究引入了一种新的细胞分选技术应用于种子荚的研究，使他的团队能够以前所未有的特异性水平检测细胞转录状态。此外，弗兰克斯博士的团队在北卡罗莱纳州的中学创建并展示了动手科学演示和教育科学视频。通过让学生和教师参与这些小学外展活动，以及通过培训不同级别和不同背景的科学家，弗兰克斯博士的团队致力于创建一个科学上受过良好教育的社区。

During the development of a seedpod, the cellular and molecular interactions that allow productive seed development are extremely complex and dynamic. Within a developing seedpod, cells must interpret and respond to numerous cues that coordinate positional information with gene expression and cellular proliferation to allow the proper development of seeds. Furthermore, this coordination of patterning cues and cellular proliferation underlies many diverse biological processes, from cancerous growth to reproductive development, and thus is of interest to a broad spectrum of biologists. Understanding the molecular mechanisms that coordinate these processes in plants are also of practical importance, and are the basis for improving agricultural production.In this project, Dr. Franks and colleagues will investigate the molecular interactions that allow seeds to develop within the flowering plant Arabidopsis thaliana. By understanding these molecular mechanisms Dr. Franks' group seeks to enable future strategies to alter seed number in agricultural or bioenergy crops thus support efforts to supply food and fuel for a growing global population. His efforts focus on defining the gene regulatory hierarchy that controls the development of the specialized tissue that generates the ovules within the seedpod (i.e. the carpel margin meristem). A multidisciplinary integration of genetic, genomic and bioinformatic approaches will be applied to achieve these goals. Furthermore, this study introduces a novel application of cell-sorting technology to the study of the seedpod allowing his group to assay cellular transcriptional states at an unprecedented level of specificity. Additionally, Dr. Franks' group creates and presents hands-on science demonstrations and educational science videos at North Carolina middle schools. By engaging students and teachers at these grade school outreach events, as well as via the training of scientists at varied levels and from diverse backgrounds, Dr. Franks' group works to create a scientifically well-educated community.