Role and activity of PRC2 and SWI/SNF in plant adaptability to changing environments

干旱或炎热每年都会造成巨大的作物损失。植物可以通过激活不同的调节程序来适应不利的环境。这需要改变表观基因组。提出的研究将阐明当植物感知干旱或热胁迫时表观基因组是如何改变的。获得的洞察力将使植物生长优化和减少压力的有害影响。此外，该提案将培养本科生进行基于课程的实验室研究，以进行有助于实现本提案目标的原创性研究，通过表观基因组变化提高植物生产力。为了阐明PRC2抑制和SWI/SNF染色质重塑对植物对环境挑战的适应性的贡献，该建议将快速消耗任何一种表观遗传调节剂，然后评估对染色质状态和基因表达的直接早期影响，以及对环境挑战的表型反应。这将对SWI/SNF和PRC2在植物适应环境变化中的直接生物学贡献作用产生新的见解。同时，将评估单个染色质调节因子对克服现有染色质状态的贡献。在此过程中，该项目将为植物群落提供新的工具，以分析关键监管机构的直接作用和活动。这一提议的更广泛的影响包括洞察植物如何通过表观基因组重编程来适应不断变化的环境。此外，将开设三门一学期的本科研究经验（CURE）实验课。本科研究人员将定义SWI/SNF或PRC2与转录因子之间的接触域，以阐明能够实现染色质重编程的接触“表面”类型。最后，在每年的夏季研究学院期间，将对高中生进行关于本提案所进行的研究的讲座。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。

Drought or heat cause dramatic crop losses each year. Plants can adjust to adverse conditions by activating different regulatory programs. This requires changes to the epigenome. The research proposed will elucidate how the epigenome is altered when drought or heat stress is sensed by the plant. Insight gained will enable optimization of plant growth and reduction of the detrimental effects of stress. In addition, the proposal will train undergraduate students in course-based laboratory research to conduct original research that contributes to addressing the goals of this proposal, to enhance plant productivity via epigenome change.To elucidate the contribution of PRC2 repression and SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling to plant adaptability to environmental challenges, this proposal will rapidly deplete either epigenetic regulator, followed by assessing immediate early effects on the chromatin state and gene expression, as well as phenotypic response to environmental challenge. This will generate novel insight into direct biological contribution roles of SWI/SNF and PRC2 to plant adaptability to changing environments. In parallel, the contribution of individual chromatin regulators to overcoming the existing chromatin state will be assessed. In doing so, the project will generate novel tools for the plant community to dissect direct roles and activities of key regulators. The broader impacts of this proposal include insight into how plant resilience to changing environments is facilitated via epigenome reprogramming. In addition, three one-semester course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE) laboratory classes will be conducted. The undergraduate researchers will define the contact domains between SWI/SNF or PRC2 and transcription factors to shed light on the types contact ‘surfaces’ that enable chromatin reprogramming. Finally, lectures on research conducted in this proposal will be given to high school students during the yearly summer research academy.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.