Regulation of flower development by ERECTA family receptors and EPFL ligands.

在自然界中观察到的植物形状千变万化。黄蜂形状的兰花，巨大的臭尸百合，高耸的红杉树和巨大的猴面包树只是几个明显的例子。虽然构成植物的构件（根、节间、叶和花）数量有限，但这些器官的形状和大小差异很大，从而导致了植物外观的丰富变化。在自然选择的驱使下，器官的形态与其功能直接相关。花的形状促进了有效的授粉，叶子的大小和形状允许在最小的高温和干旱危害下进行最佳的光合作用。器官形状的一个重要驱动因素是建立一个活跃的生长区域和边界区，细胞分裂非常缓慢。本项目研究在花发育的不同阶段控制花器官形状和边界区形成的分子机制。它检查胚珠的起始和间距，这将有助于了解种子的数量是如何建立在一个果实。为了支持教育，将创建一个网站，提供针对本科水平植物生理学课程的高质量视频链接。拟议的研究还将通过培养博士后、研究生、本科生和高中生来促进教育。将作出特别努力来吸引少数民族参加这个研究项目。植物的形状取决于细胞增殖的时间、细胞伸长的程度和边界的建立。这些过程依赖于协调的细胞行为，需要细胞间的通信。调控植物形态发生的关键信号通路之一是由ERECTA受体家族（ERf）及其细胞外配体epfl启动的。该途径对所有地上器官的形态发生都很重要；然而，针对的具体发育过程尚不清楚。该项目将研究花形态发生过程中的ERf-EPFL信号，这是一个复杂的发育过程，需要多种途径协调细胞的分化和增殖。我们将探索erf - epfl在包括胚珠、被珠和花药在内的多种花结构形成过程中的功能，目的是确定不同组织中类似的控制过程。ERf-EPFL信号的作用将被研究在生长结构之间的边界规范和在突起生长过程中生长素运输的修饰。实验设计包括基因研究、成像、下一代测序和生化方法。综上所述，这些活性有可能揭示控制植物形态发生的新分子机制。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，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，被认为值得支持。

A remarkable variety of plant shapes are observed in nature. Wasp-shaped orchid flowers, gigantic stinking corpse lilies, towering sequoia trees, and massive baobabs are just a few conspicuous examples. While there are a limited number of building blocks that make up a plant (a root, an internode, a leaf, and a flower), the shape and size of these organs vary greatly, giving rise to the prolific variation in plant appearance. Driven by natural selection, the form of an organ is directly related to its function. The shape of a flower promotes effective pollination, and the size and shape of leaves allow for optimal photosynthesis with minimal harm by heat and drought. An important driver of organ shape is establishment of an active growth region and of boundary zones where cells divide very slowly. This project investigates molecular mechanisms controlling the shape of flower organs and formation of boundary zones during various stages of flower development. It examines the initiation and spacing of ovules, which will contribute to understanding how the number of seeds is established within a fruit. To support education, a website will be created with links to high-quality videos aimed at undergraduate level Plant Physiology courses. The proposed research will also promote education through the training of postdoctoral, graduate, undergraduate, and high school students. A special effort will be made to attract minorities to the research program. The shape of a plant depends on the timing of cell proliferation, the extent of cell elongation, and the establishment of boundaries. These processes rely on coordinated cell behavior and require cell-to-cell communications. One of the key signaling pathways regulating plant morphogenesis is initiated by the ERECTA family (ERf) of receptors and their extracellular ligands, EPFLs. This pathway is important for morphogenesis of all aboveground organs; however, the specific developmental processes that are targeted are not known. This project will study ERf-EPFL signaling during morphogenesis of flowers, a complex developmental program requiring numerous avenues of coordinated differentiation and proliferation of cells. It will explore the function of ERf-EPFLs during formation of a variety of flower structures including ovules, integuments, and anthers with the goal of identifying processes similarly controlled in different tissues. The role of ERf-EPFL signaling will be studied in specification of boundaries between outgrowing structures and in modification of auxin transport during outgrowth of protrusions. The experimental design includes genetic studies, imaging, next-generation sequencing, and biochemical approaches. Taken together, the proposed activities have the potential to uncover novel molecular mechanisms controlling morphogenesis in plants.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.