ERA-CAPS:Activation and regulation of plasma membrane receptor signaling complexes controlling plant development and immunity, and their connection to downstream signaling cascades

植物发育部分是由细胞之间的化学通讯驱动的，这些细胞发出信号并协调生长。这些信号中的一些是小分子，称为肽，被植物细胞中的其他“受体”分子感知。 当肽找到它们的受体时，一系列的发育信息被传递，类似于用锁中的钥匙打开门。令人惊讶的是，科学家们发现植物也使用受体来检测入侵病原体的信号。一旦发现，植物就可以通过激活分子防御武器库来抵御进一步的病原体攻击。这些相关和相似的受体如何在正常植物发育和植物防御中发挥作用令人困惑，仍然是植物生物学中一个重要的未解问题。这项研究通过识别肽识别的分子基础和破译受体如何控制发育和防御来解决这个问题。具体来说，该研究解决了同一受体家族如何区分非常不同的肽信号以激活不同细胞信号传导途径的问题。这项研究汇集了一批具有互补技术技能的多元化和国际科学家，以解决这些问题。随着疾病在地球仪广泛传播，病原体对植物健康的挑战仍然是国家粮食安全面临的一个紧迫问题。这项研究的结果提供了可用于提高植物抗病性的基础信息。在这个过程中，学生和博士后研究人员在基础植物发育和实际植物健康领域接受尖端跨学科科学的培训。植物病原体相互作用和发育中的肽感知是由富含亮氨酸的重复跨膜激酶超家族的初级受体介导的。单个初级受体介导特异性肽结合，但越来越清楚的是，不同的受体可以使用特异性的和通常共享的共受体进行肽识别和下游信号传导。识别和下游信号传导的特异性的分子基础尚不清楚。本研究探讨相关受体如何利用共受体识别特定肽配体的结构基础。此外，该项目旨在使用磷酸蛋白质组学和定量生物化学来确定特定配体感知如何被转换为特定的下游信号输出。该项目还将使用生物化学和遗传学方法的组合来破译受体相互作用物的进化枝在控制发育和防御受体信号传导中的功能。据设想，这项工作将提供一个分子框架，以了解特异性是如何在分子水平上编码受体激酶信号传导，为未来在作物中设计这些途径奠定基础，作为研究的主要影响之一。该计划还通过培训跨学科和国际研究的下一代科学家来确保富有成效的未来。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估而被认为值得支持。

Plant development is driven in part by chemical communication among cells that signal and co-ordinate growth. Some of these signals are small molecules, called peptides, that are perceived by other "receptor" molecules in the plant cell. A cascade of developmental information is transmitted when peptides find their receptors, similar to the opening of a door by a key in a lock. Surprisingly, scientists discovered that receptors are also used by plants to detect signals from invading pathogens. Upon detection, plants can then ward off further pathogen attack by activating an arsenal of molecular defenses. How these related and similar receptors function in normal plant development and also plant defense is puzzling and remains an important unanswered question in plant biology. This research tackles the problem by identifying the molecular basis of peptide recognition and by deciphering how receptors control both development and defense. Specifically, the research addresses the question of how the same receptor family can distinguish between very different peptide signals to activate different cell signaling pathways. The research brings together a diverse and international group of scientists with complementary technical skills to address these questions. Challenges to plant health from pathogens remain a pressing problem facing national food security, as diseases spread widely across the globe. The outcomes of this research provide foundational information that can be applied to improving disease resistance in plants. In the process, students and post-doctoral researchers are trained in cutting edge interdisciplinary science in the area of basic plant development and practical plant health. Peptide perception in plant pathogen interactions and development are mediated primary receptors belonging to the leucine-rich repeat transmembrane kinase superfamily. Individual primary receptors mediate specific peptide binding, but it is becoming clear that diverse receptors can use specific and often shared co-receptors for peptide recognition and downstream signaling. The molecular basis of specificity in both recognition and downstream signaling is unclear. This research studies the structural basis of how related receptors use co-receptors to recognize specific peptide ligands. In addition, the project aims to use phosphoproteomics and quantitative biochemistry to determine how specific ligand perception is transduced into specific downstream signaling outputs. The project will also decipher the function of a clade of receptor interactors in the control of both development and defense receptor signaling using a combination of biochemical and genetic methods. It is envisioned that this work will provide a molecular framework for understanding how specificity is encoded at the molecular level in receptor kinase signaling, setting the stage for engineering these pathways in crops in the future as one of the major broader impacts of the reseach. The program also ensures a productive future by training the next generation of scientists in inter-disciplinary and international research.This 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.