Integration of trehalose-6-phosphate signaling by FAF proteins in Arabidopsis thaliana

植物在其整个生命周期中，都会从位于茎尖和根部的被称为分生组织的多能干细胞群中产生新的器官。茎部分生组织的大小受到一个反馈回路的严格控制，该反馈回路涉及同源结构域转录因子WUSCHEL （WUS）和CLAVATA （CLV）基因。这种调节回路被蔗糖和海藻糖进一步微调。我们已经确定了一个由神奇四（FAF）基因编码的四个相关植物特异性蛋白家族，它们可以调节拟南芥芽分生组织的大小。有趣的是，FAF蛋白与TPS1相互作用，TPS1是一种合成海藻糖-6-磷酸的酶，海藻糖是双糖的前体。在此，我们提出了一系列的实验来研究FAF蛋白在分生组织和生长控制中的分子功能。我们还试图跟进我们的数据，表明BPM蛋白对FAF蛋白的调节。最后，我们将分析FAF蛋白如何调节TPS1功能影响海藻糖稳态，以及这些海藻糖代谢蛋白对发育的影响。除了提供一个有趣的和新的蛋白质家族的全面分析，拟议的工作将提高我们的代谢物，在这种情况下海藻糖及其前体海藻糖-6-磷酸，如何促进发育和生长的知识。

Plants produce new organs throughout their lives from groups of pluripotent stem cells called meristems, located at the tips of the shoot and the root. The size of the shoot meristem is tightly controlled by a feedback loop, which involves the homeodomain transcription factor WUSCHEL (WUS) and the CLAVATA (CLV) genes. This regulatory circuit is further fine-tuned by the sugars sucrose and trehalose. We have identified a family of four related plant-specific proteins, encoded by the FANTASTIC FOUR (FAF) genes, that can modulate shoot meristem size in Arabidopsis. Interestingly, the FAF proteins interact with TPS1, an enzyme that synthesizes trehalose-6- phosophate, a precursor of the disaccharide trehalose. Here we propose a series of experiments to investigate the molecular function of the FAF proteins in meristem and growth control. We also seek to follow up on our data indicating the regulation of the FAF proteins by BPM proteins. Finally, we will analyze how the FAF proteins modulate TPS1 function to affect trehalose homeostasis and the effect of these trehalose metabolizing proteins on development. In addition to offering a comprehensive analysis of an interesting and novel protein family, the proposed work will enhance our knowledge of how metabolites, in this case trehalose and its precursor trehalose-6-phosphate, contribute to development and growth.