RTE, a plant growth gene with a conserved role in metals

广泛的长期目标是了解生物体控制过渡的机制 金属离子和这些金属的作用，特别是铜，在细胞信号和调节途径。 铜稳态对人类健康具有重要意义，但细胞内铜代谢途径 贩运尚不清楚，在铜的感应和贩运中， 鉴定这项建议的重点是RTE，以前未描述的新序列的基因，这是 假设编码铜的传感器、转运蛋白或伴侣。RTE基因高度 保守的，并且在动物中以单拷贝存在，在植物中以两个拷贝存在。的目的 建议是定义RTE在金属稳态中的作用。这些研究将主要集中在RTE 1 模式植物拟南芥（Arabidopsis thaliana）的基因。拟南芥中的遗传分析将RTE 1与两个 乙烯信号转导中的铜结合蛋白。一个是需要铜的乙烯受体 ETR 1，其功能依赖于RTE 1。另一个是RAN 1，它是人类 Menkes/Wilson的P型ATP酶铜转运蛋白，其同样是乙烯受体所需的 功能在拟南芥中研究这些与RTE 1的连接的遗传和细胞基础， 利用强大的遗传工具来了解RTE的细胞作用。平行实验， 将在动物遗传模型中进行关于RTE和Menkes/Wilson同源物CUA-1的研究 秀丽隐杆线虫，允许比较和整合的结果，从动物系统与那些 在植物中。酿酒酵母和哺乳动物细胞培养物将用于乙烯结合 测定和铜结合测定。拟议的实验将使用以下方法的组合 分子遗传学、细胞生物学和生物化学方法。RTE功能的说明应具有 直接影响了解金属稳态的过程，以造福人类健康。

The broad, long-term objective is to understand the mechanisms by which organisms control transition metal ions and the roles of these metals, particularly copper, in cell signaling and regulatory pathways. Copper homeostasis is of major importance to human health, yet the pathways for intracellular copper trafficking are unclear, and relatively few components in copper sensing and trafficking have been identified. This proposal focuses on RTE, a previously undescribed gene of novel sequence, which is hypothesized to encode a sensor, transporter or chaperone for copper. The RTE gene is highly conserved, and is present in a single copy in animals and in two copies in plants. The aim of this proposal is to define the role of RTE in metal homeostasis. The studies will center primarily on the RTE1 gene of the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. Genetic analyses in Arabidopsis have linked RTE1 to two copper-binding proteins in ethylene signal transduction. One is the copper-requiring ethylene receptor ETR1, whose function is dependent on RTE1. The other is RAN1, a homolog of the human Menkes/Wilson's P-type ATPase copper transporter, which is likewise required for ethylene receptor function. Investigating the genetic and cellular basis for these connections to RTE1 in Arabidopsis will utilize powerful genetic tools for understanding the cellular roles of RTE. Parallel experiments with respect to RTE and the Menkes/Wilson's homolog CUA-1 will be performed in the animal genetic model Caenorhabditis elegans, allowing comparison and integration of results from an animal system with those in plants. Saccharomyces cerevisiae and mammalian cell culture will be employed for ethylene binding assays and copper binding assays, respectively. The proposed experiments will use a combination of molecular genetics, cell biology and biochemical methods. The elucidation of RTE function should have a direct impact on understanding the processes of metal homeostasis for the benefit of human health.