Mechanisms of Transport Through Plasmodesmata

大多数动植物是多细胞的--由数百万或数十亿具有特殊功能的细胞组成。这些细胞之间的交流是必不可少的，因为它有助于协调生长、发育和生理。植物有一种特殊的通讯方式，它们在细胞之间传输由蛋白质和核酸组成的生物信号。这些信号通过被称为胞间连丝的纳米通道传递。尽管胞间连丝对植物的生存是必不可少的，但人们对胞间连丝如何控制和运输不同的信号知之甚少。更清楚地了解这一过程有可能提高作物产量，并控制植物疾病的传播。因此，这项建议将促进植物生物学基础领域的知识，并有可能改良农作物。该项目还将培训各级年轻科学家，从高中到博士后，从事尖端生物学研究。PI担任冷泉港未来实验室合作伙伴项目的主任，该项目让当地高中生沉浸在活跃的研究实验室中。该项目团队还将与纽约布鲁克林的公民科学组织Genspace建立一个教育联盟。该联盟将与纽约布鲁克林的一所少数族裔服务高中接触，并将主办大学和职业准备会议，教授实验室并领导植物遗传学研究的讨论。这些活动旨在向几乎没有接触到科学方法的学生分享植物遗传学研究的兴奋和应用。大多数植物细胞通过称为胞间连丝(PD)的特殊纳米通道与邻居相连。PDS控制信号分子的运输，包括蛋白质和mRNAs，以及代谢物，允许组织协调生理和发育。该项目将研究编码同源结构域转录因子的mRNAs的PD运输，该转录因子对植物生长和干细胞命运至关重要。这些mRNAs的运输需要RNA结合蛋白，为如何控制这一信号过程提供了一种机制。该项目将研究蛋白质-RNA的相互作用，以询问RNA结合蛋白如何运输特定的RNA，并将询问它与哪些额外的mRNAs相互作用。该项目还将开发嵌合植物，并使用单细胞测序来筛选额外的移动mRNA信号。调控mRNAs的运输为理解胞间连丝如何在植物发育过程中协调干细胞功能提供了一个系统。将这项研究应用于微调基因本地化可以使作物工程优化其生长和对环境的反应，从而提高产量。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并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。

Most plants and animals are multicellular- composed of millions or billions of cells with specialized functions. Communication between these cells is essential, as it helps coordinate growth, development and physiology. Plants have a special mode of communication whereby they transport biological signals composed of proteins and nucleic acids between cells. These signals pass though nanochannels called plasmodesmata. Despite the fact that plasmodesmata are essential for plant survival, very little is known about how they control and transport different signals. A clearer understanding of this process has the potential to enhance crop productivity, and to control the spread of plant diseases. Hence, this proposal will advance knowledge in a fundamental area of plant biology, and has the potential to improve agricultural crops. The project will also train young scientists at various levels, from high school to post-doctoral, in cutting edge biological research. The PI serves as Director of the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Partners For the Future program, which immerses local high school students in active research labs. The project team will also develop an educational alliance with Genspace, a Citizen Science organization in Brooklyn, New York. This alliance will engage with a minority serving High School in Brooklyn, New York and will host college and career preparedness sessions, and teach labs and lead discussions in plant genetics research. These activities are aimed at sharing the excitement and applications of plant genetics research to students who otherwise have little exposure to the scientific method.Most plant cells are connected to their neighbors by specialized nanochannels called plasmodesmata (PDs). PDs control the transport of signaling molecules, including proteins and mRNAs, as well as metabolites, allowing organismal coordination of physiology and development. This project will study the PD transport of mRNAs that encode homeodomain transcription factors, important for plant growth and stem cell fate. An RNA binding protein is required for trafficking of these mRNAs, providing a mechanism for how this signaling process may be controlled. The project will study protein-RNA interactions to ask how the RNA binding protein transports specific RNAs, and will ask which additional mRNAs it interacts with. The project will also develop chimeric plants and use single cell sequencing to screen for additional mobile mRNA signals. Trafficking of regulatory mRNAs provides a system to understand how plasmodesmata coordinate stem cell function during plant development. Application of this research in fine tuning of mRNA localization could allow engineering of crop plants to optimize their growth and responses to the environment, leading to increased productivity.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.