NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology FY 2019: Deciphering CLE Peptide Signaling Pathways in Sunflower (Helianthus annuus)

这一行动为NSF国家植物基因组计划2019财年生物学博士后研究奖学金提供了资金。该奖学金支持在东道主实验室为该研究员制定的研究和培训计划，该研究员还提出了扩大生物学参与度的计划。丹尼尔·斯科特·琼斯博士的这项研究和培训计划的标题是《破译向日葵(向日葵)中的CLE多肽信号通路》。该奖学金的主办机构是位于教堂山的北卡罗来纳大学，赞助科学家是Zachary Nimchuk博士。与动物不同，植物在整个生命周期中不断发育和产生新的器官。为了支持这种持续生长，植物维持着一组功能强大的干细胞，这些干细胞可以根据需要分裂并成为植物内任何其他类型的细胞；产生茎、叶、根、花和种子中的所有细胞。即使是植物枝条中保持的干细胞数量的微小变化，也会直接影响植物产生的器官的数量和大小。了解干细胞在植物中的特性是如何控制的，直接关系到我们是否有能力影响重要的农艺性状，如果实大小、谷物产量，甚至整个作物的健康和表现。该项目旨在发现调节葵花干细胞特性的关键基因，向日葵是一种重要的种子和油料作物。在这个项目的过程中，将开发工具，进一步将向日葵作为研究向日葵家族(菊科)物种的模式研究系统，向日葵家族是最大的具有重大经济意义/潜力的植物家族之一。在奖学金期间提供的支持也将使主办机构专门为第一代大学生提供研究机会。培训目标包括获得比较基因组学、开发、表观遗传学和生物信息学方面的新技能。了解保守的信号通路如何调节细胞间的通讯，以协调不同的发育形式，是生物学中的一个中心问题。CLE(CLAVATA3/Eenosperm About Region-Related)多肽信号转导途径是高度分化物种间干细胞识别和器官发生的保守途径。该项目的主要目标是：1)确定向日葵在花序发育过程中表达的CLE信号成分；2)通过RNA-seq和ATAC-seq确定向日葵茎和根分生组织中响应CLE多肽的信号输出；3)对向日葵进行CRISPR-Cas9突变，并对关键的CLE途径成分进行功能分析；4)完成密集的科学培训计划，发展比较和大规模基因组学方面的新技能，同时产生基础数据，以便建立独立的研究计划。在本研究过程中产生的所有基因组数据集将被存入可公开访问的基因表达综合数据库(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/geo/))，并将通过国家植物学研究所向日葵生物信息学资源网站(https://www.heliagene.org/).)与向日葵社区免费共享此外，所有针对向日葵使用而优化的CRISPR-CAS9构建物，将通过请求和非营利全球质粒库(https://www.addgene.org/)，)提供，以便于分发。关键词：向日葵、RNA-seq、atac-seq、转录组、干细胞、细胞间信号、花序、花这个奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This action funds an NSF National Plant Genome Initiative Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology for FY 2019. 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. Daniel Scott Jones is "Deciphering CLE peptide signaling pathways in sunflower (Helianthus annuus)". The host institution for the fellowship is the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill and the sponsoring scientist is Dr. Zachary Nimchuk. Unlike animals, plants continue to develop and generate new organs throughout their lifespan. To support this continual growth, plants maintain a functional set of stem cells that can divide and become any other type of cell within the plant as needed; giving rise to all cells found in stems, leaves, roots, flowers, and seeds. Even slight changes in the number of stem cells maintained in the shoot of a plant can have a direct impact on the number and size of organs it produces. Understanding how stem cell identity is controlled in plants is directly linked with our ability to influence agronomically important traits such as fruit size, grain yield or even overall crop health and performance. This project aims to uncover key genes regulating stem cell identity in sunflower, an important seed and oil crop. During the course of this project, tools will be developed to further the use of sunflower as a model research system for studying species within the sunflower family (Asteraceae), one of the largest plant families with great economic significance/potential. Support provided during this fellowship will also enable research opportunities specifically catered toward first-generation college students at the host institution. Training objectives include acquiring new skills in comparative genomics, development, epigenetics and bioinformatics. Understanding how conserved signaling pathways mediate cell-cell communication to coordinate diverse developmental forms is a central question within the biology. CLE (CLAVATA3/Endosperm surrounding region-related) peptide signaling represents a conserved pathway regulating stem cell identity and organogenesis across highly divergent species. The main objectives of this project are to: 1) identify CLE signaling components expressed during inflorescence development in sunflower; 2) define signaling outputs in sunflower shoot and root meristems in response to CLE peptides via RNA-seq and ATAC -seq; 3) implement CRISPR-Cas9 mutagenesis in sunflower and functionally analyze key CLE pathway components; 4) complete an intensive scientific training program, developing new skills in comparative and large-scale genomics while producing foundational data from which to build an independent research program. All genomic datasets generated during the course of this study will be deposited into the publicly accessible Gene Expression Omnibus-GEO (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/geo/) and will be freely shared with the sunflower community via the Institut National de la Recherche Aronomique (INRA) Sunflower Bioinformatics Resource site (https://www.heliagene.org/). Additionally, all CRISPR-Cas9 constructs, optimized for use in sunflower, will be made available by request and through Addgene, the nonprofit global plasmid repository (https://www.addgene.org/), for ease of distribution. Keywords: sunflower, RNA-seq, ATAC-seq, transcriptome, stem cell, intercellular signaling, inflorescence, flowerThis 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.