Research Initiation Award: Establishment of Pale Yellow Golden Pothos Plant-based Transgenic System for Studying Nuclear Genes Involved in Chloroplast Biogenesis

研究启动奖（RIAs）为传统黑人学院和大学（HBCUs）中开始建立研究项目的初级教师提供支持，也为需要重新指导和重建研究项目的职业中期教师提供支持。期望该奖项有助于进一步提高教师的研究能力和效率，改善研究人员所在机构的研究和教学，并使本科生参与研究经验。北卡罗来纳中央大学（NCCU） HBCU-UP RIA旨在建立一个实验系统来研究编码叶绿体蛋白的核基因，并通过分别共表达两个特征良好的核编码质体蛋白基因来测试其可靠性。EaZIP编码叶绿素生物合成途径中mg -原卟啉IX单甲基酯环化酶，其功能受损导致的淡黄色“Golden Pothos”植物被诱导启动子alcA （alcA:: EaZIP）驱动的EaZIP过度表达。RIA的总体目标是建立一个以淡黄色“金pothos”植物为基础的可诱导转基因系统来研究叶绿体的生物发生。在为期两年的时间里，该项目资助了五名生物技术本科生。通过与佛罗里达大学和美国农业部的研究人员合作，该项目有可能对地方、区域和国家产生影响。为支持PI和学生的机构资源也通过NCCU的BRITE学院提供。该项目的成果也有可能为更多的学生，特别是来自代表性不足的少数民族的本科生提供培训机会，例如分子生物学和基因克隆方面的生物技术。此外，该项目还提高了这所历史悠久的黑人大学的研究能力和能力，并为美国的多样化、高度竞争的科学劳动力做出了贡献。

Research Initiation Awards (RIAs) provide support for junior faculty at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) who are starting to build a research program, as well as for mid-career faculty who need to re-direct and re-build a research program. It is expected that the award helps to further the faculty member's research capability and effectiveness, improves research and teaching at the researcher's home institution, and involves undergraduate students in research experiences.North Carolina Central University's (NCCU) HBCU-UP RIA is aimed at establishing an experimental system to study nuclear genes encoding chloroplast proteins and to test its reliability for the purpose by co-expressing two well-characterized nuclear-encoded plastid protein genes individually. Pale yellow 'Golden Pothos' plants resulting from impaired function of EaZIP, encoding the Mg-protoporphyrin IX monomethyl ester cyclase in the chlorophyll biosynthesis pathway, is used for overexpression by EaZIP driven by an inducible promoter alcA (alcA:: EaZIP). The overall goal of the RIA is to develop a pale yellow 'Golden Pothos' plant-based inducible transgenic system to study chloroplast biogenesis.During the two year duration, the project supports five undergraduate students in biotechnology. The project has the potential for local, regional and national impact through a collaboration with researchers at the University of Florida and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Institutional resources in support of the PI and students are also provided through the BRITE Institute at NCCU. The project outcome also has the potential to result in training opportunities for additional students, particularly undergraduates from underrepresented minority populations, in molecular biology and biotechnology in gene cloning, for example. In addition, the project increases research capability and capacity at a historically black university in addition to making contributions to a diverse, highly competitive, scientific workforce for the nation.