Male germline regulatory mechanisms integrating cell cycle control with gamete specification.

植物的有性生殖在自然环境和作物生产中都具有重要意义。与动物一样，植物的繁殖依赖于受精时结合的雄性和雌性生殖细胞（精子和卵子）的产生。这项研究旨在揭示控制植物精细胞产生和生育力的潜在过程，这些精细胞在有性生殖过程中在花粉粒内形成。令人惊讶的是，在开花植物中调节精细胞形成的分子途径在很大程度上是未知的，尽管这个过程对植物育种，作物和种子生产至关重要。我们已经确定了一个主调节基因，称为DUO1，这是至关重要的精子细胞的形成和生育力的模式植物物种拟南芥，一个重要的种子和蔬菜作物在芥菜家族的近亲。DUO1基因在植物精细胞发育中具有重要的协调作用，控制参与细胞分裂控制的广泛基因网络的活性，以及受精时精细胞的专门功能。在拟议的工作中，我们将首次研究这种调控因子网络如何使用一系列涉及分子，遗传和细胞生物学方法的技术来控制植物精细胞的生产。我们将确定不同的基因组如何在这个网络中协调控制细胞分裂和植物精细胞的专门生产。该项目将提供有关植物如何繁殖的宝贵信息，允许与动物繁殖进行有意义的比较，并产生新的知识和技术，使人们能够更好地了解植物生命周期中这一经济上重要的部分。此外，还与在中国工作的水稻生殖生物学专家开展了合作，为评估一种重要粮食作物的知识转让提供了一条直接途径，在这种作物中，杂交种子生产等技术具有显著的产量优势（约20%）。这项工作将由莱斯特大学的一名全职博士后研究助理和一名实验室技术员进行。这项工作的某些方面将涉及与研究人员的合作，包括与中国和日本的大学交换数据和材料。一些专门的高通量分子工作将使用比利时VIB研究所提供的服务进行。

Plant sexual reproduction is of vital importance both in the natural environment and for crop production. As in animals, plant reproduction relies on the production of male and female reproductive cells (sperms and eggs) that are united at fertilization. This research aims to uncover the underlying processes that control the production and fertility of plant sperm cells that are formed within pollen grains during sexual reproduction. Surprisingly, the molecular pathways that regulate sperm cell formation in flowering plants are largely unknown, even though this process is vital for plant breeding, crop and seed production. We have identified a master regulator gene, termed DUO1 that is vital for sperm cell formation and fertility in the model plant species Arabidopsis thaliana, a close relative of important seed and vegetable crops in the mustard family. The DUO1 gene has an important coordinating role in plant sperm cell development, controlling the activity of a wide network of genes involved in the control of cell division, and in the specialised function of sperm cells at fertilization. In the proposed work we will investigate for the first time how this network of regulatory factors controls plant sperm cell production using a range of technologies involving molecular, genetic and cell biological approaches. We will identify how different sets of genes are coordinated within this network to control cell division and the specialised production of plant sperm cells. This project will provide valuable information on how plants reproduce, allow meaningful comparisons to animal reproduction and generate new knowledge and technology that will allow greater understanding of this economically important part of the plant life cycle. Moreover, collaborative work with rice reproductive biology experts working in China has been established providing a direct route to evaluate the transfer of knowledge in an important food crop in which technologies such as hybrid seed production have significant (~20%) yield advantage. The work will be carried out by a full-time postdoctoral research assistant and a laboratory technician at the University of Leicester. Some aspects of the work will involve collaboration with researchers involving exchange of data and materials with Universities in China and Japan. Some of the specialised high throughput molecular work will be carried out using services provided by the VIB research institute, Belgium.