Genes Controlling Wax Biosynthesis in Sorghum bicolor: Potential for Improving Crop Performance and Value

这项行动资助了2018财年的NSF国家植物基因组计划生物学博士后研究奖学金。该研究金支持研究员在东道实验室的研究和培训计划，研究员还提出了扩大生物学参与的计划。Lucas布斯塔博士的研究和培训计划的标题是“控制两色高粱蜡生物合成的基因：提高作物性能和价值的潜力”。该奖学金的主办机构是内布拉斯加大学林肯分校，赞助科学家是埃德加卡洪博士、大卫R。两色高粱是一种多用途作物，具有卓越的水和氮利用效率，其扩大使用可能会减少水和肥料的消耗，并创造一个更可持续的农业系统。在高粱中，天然蜡覆盖在气生植物表面，它们可以防止干旱气候，提高水的利用效率。蜡在高粱中积累的水平高于几乎所有其他植物物种，高粱仁蜡是一种新兴的工业生物产品，可以在谷物加工过程中提取。了解调节高粱蜡生物合成和积累的过程将使科学家和植物育种家能够（1）将高粱的一些水效率转移到其他作物，如玉米;（2）快速导航到具有增强谷物价值的高蜡高粱品系。该项目旨在确定控制高粱蜡沉积的基因和基因网络。培训目标包括功能基因组学、生物化学、生物信息学和植物育种。更广泛的影响活动包括指导和培训本科化学专业的学生在植物化学品的分析，以及开发一个动手主动学习模块和动手实验室讲习班，教育儿童，成人和年轻妇女的经济，营养和环境效益通过植物化学，植物多样性和作物改良的研究，将激发对STEM领域的兴趣，教育和职业。该项目的目标是将蜡质生物化学、基因组学和生物信息学联合收割机相结合，通过两个互补的具体目标来鉴定控制高粱蜡质沉积的基因：（1）通过关联表皮特异转录组和全面的蜡质图谱来鉴定高可信度的高粱蜡质候选基因，然后通过在拟南芥蜡质突变体中进行互补测试来评估其功能;和（2）使用大规模分离子RNA-seq作图来精确定位影响籽粒和叶鞘蜡的现有高粱突变体中的因果突变（作为推定的转录因子突变体）。除了启动和催化未来的高粱蜡研究和进一步开发高粱蜡知识的应用外，该项目中收集的整个组织和表皮特异性基因表达数据将通过公共知识库以及Sorpellum Epidermis Gene Expression Almanac获得，作为该项目的一部分，将开发一个在线服务器，用户可以查询高粱转录组的序列，并查看整个组织和表皮中相似基因的表达高粱叶、叶鞘和发育中的籽粒。保留字：高粱，蜡的生物合成和沉积，功能基因组学，拟南芥突变体，生物化学，基因表达谱该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并已被认为是值得通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估的支持。

This action funds an NSF National Plant Genome Initiative Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology for FY 2018. The fellowship supports a research and training plan in a host laboratory for the Fellow who also presents a plan to broaden participation in biology. The title of the research and training plan for this fellowship to Dr. Lucas Busta is "Genes Controlling Wax Biosynthesis in Sorghum bicolor: Potential for Improving Crop Performance and Value". The host institution for the fellowship is the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and the sponsoring scientists are Drs. Edgar Cahoon, David R. Holding and Chi Zhang.Sorghum bicolor is a multi-use crop with exceptional water- and nitrogen-use efficiency whose expanded use will likely decrease water and fertilizer consumption and create a more sustainable agricultural system. In sorghum, natural waxes cover aerial plant surfaces where they protect against dry climates and increase water-use efficiency. Waxes accumulate in sorghum to levels higher than nearly all other plant species and sorghum kernel waxes are an emerging industrial bioproduct that can be extracted during grain processing. Understanding the processes that regulate sorghum wax biosynthesis and accumulation will enable scientists and plant breeders to (1) potentially transfer some of sorghum's water efficiency to other crops such as maize; and (2) rapidly navigate routes to high-wax sorghum lines with enhanced grain value. This project seeks to identify the genes and gene networks that control sorghum wax deposition. Training objectives include functional genomics, biochemistry, bioinformatics, and plant breeding. Broader impact activities include the mentoring and training of undergraduate chemistry students in the analysis of plant chemicals as well as developing a hands-on active learning module and a hands-on laboratory workshop for educating children, adults and young women about the economic, nutritional, and environmental benefits gained through the study of plant chemistry, plant diversity, and crop improvement that will inspire interest in STEM fields, education, and careers. The goal of the project is to combine wax biochemistry with genomics and bioinformatics to identify genes controlling sorghum wax deposition via two complimentary specific aims: (1) identify high-confidence sorghum wax gene candidates by correlating epidermis-specific transcriptomes and comprehensive wax profiles, then evaluate their functionality by performing complementation tests in Arabidopsis wax mutants; and, (2) use bulked segregant RNA-seq mapping to pinpoint causal mutations in existing sorghum mutants affected in both kernel and leaf sheath waxes (as putative transcription factor mutants). In addition to initiating and catalyzing future sorghum wax research and the further development of applications for sorghum wax knowledge, the whole tissue and epidermis-specific gene expression data collected in this project will be made accessible through public repositories as well as through the Sorghum Epidermis Gene Expression Almanac, online server that will be developed as part of this project where users can query sequences against the sorghum transcriptome and view the expression of similar genes in whole tissue and the epidermis of sorghum leaves, leaf sheathes, and developing kernels. Keywords: sorghum, wax biosynthesis and deposition, functional genomics, Arabidopsis mutants, biochemistry, gene expression profilingThis award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.