Receptor-mediated cell-cell communication and the regulation of organ size in plants: functional analysis of signaling mediated by the lecine-rich repeat receptor-like kinase SRF4 in Arabidopsis thaliana

植物细胞必须反复相互沟通，以使器官生长到适当的大小。然而，人们对细胞间通讯的潜在机制知之甚少。本研究为长期探索一条在拟南芥器官大小调控中起重要作用的受体激酶依赖的信号转导途径奠定了基础。因此，它将提高我们的知识，特别是器官大小控制和受体介导的信号转导在植物中的一般机制。这项拨款建议是基于我们以前在拟南芥中编码富含亮氨酸重复序列受体样激酶的LRR-V/SRF基因家族的工作结果。遗传分析表明，SRF 4是器官大小的直接正调控因子，特别是子叶、叶片和种子。因此，SRF 4定义了一个新的受体激酶为基础的信号转导途径的器官发生的普遍重要性。研究将基于反向遗传学、细胞和分子生物学以及生物化学的方法。主要的重点将驻留在SRF 4的生物学和分子功能的调查，对已经确定的假定相互作用的蛋白质的分析，并在其活性是响应SRF 4信号的基因的发现。

Plant cells must repeatedly communicate with each other to allow an organ to grow to its proper size. Little is known, however, about the underlying mechanisms of cell-cell communication. This project provides the basis for a long-term exploration of a novel receptor kinase-dependent signal transduction pathway that plays in important role in the control of organ size in Arabidopsis thaliana. It will thus enhance our knowledge about the mechanisms of organ size control in particular and receptor-mediated signal transduction in plants in general. The grant proposal is based on results from our previous work on the gene family encoding the LRR-V/SRF family of leucine-rich repeat receptorlike kinases in Arabidopsis. Genetic analysis indicated that onea member, SRF4, is a direct positive regulator of organ size, in particular of cotyledons, leaves and seeds. Thus, SRF4 defines a novel receptor kinase-based signal transduction pathway of general importance for organogenesis. Research will be based on methods of reverse genetics, cellular and molecular biology, and biochemistry. The major focus will reside on the investigation of the biological and molecular function of SRF4, on an analysis of already identified putative interacting proteins, and on the discovery of genes whose activity is responsive to SRF4 signaling.