Elucidating roles for poplar SNF1-related protein kinases(SnRK1) in dormancy-associated processes

冬眠是温带森林树木和其他多年生植物为抵御严酷的冬季环境而获得的一种适应能力。休眠通常由与秋季相关的环境因素触发，如昼长缩短和温度降低，并伴随着一系列其他发育和生理事件，使植物能够承受恶劣的冬季条件，如芽形成，寒冷，冷冻和/或干燥耐受性，以及碳和氮资源的重新分配和储存储备合成。晚获得休眠可能导致干燥或冷伤、不可挽回的资源损失或其他负面后果，而早获得休眠缩短了生长季节并降低了植物生产力。因此，休眠相关过程的分子调节因子是植物存活、生长、生产力和适应性的潜在决定因素。令人惊讶的是，迄今为止，在任何植物物种中，只有少数与休眠相关的分子调节因子被确定。我的研究计划的目标是发现和表征与森林树木的休眠获取和越冬有关的过程的分子调节因子。由于一年生植物不能用于研究休眠，杨树是研究休眠相关调控因子的理想模型。我的实验室有新的证据表明，一组名为SnRK1的蛋白激酶可能参与调节杨树的休眠相关过程。我建议使用多种分子生物学和基因组学技术来发现杨树休眠获取过程中SnRK1调控的基因和蛋白，并利用这些信息来确定从主动生长到休眠过渡过程中SnRK1调控的过程。我还旨在确定调节SnRK1的因素。总之，这些信息将为森林树木（如杨树）的休眠相关过程的调节提供新的见解。

Dormancy is an adaptation that temperate zone forest trees and other perennials have acquired to withstand the harsh conditions of winter. Dormancy is usually triggered by autumn-associated environmental cues such as shortened daylength and lower temperatures, and is accompanied by a suite of other developmental and physiological events that allow the plant to withstand inclement winter conditions, such as bud formation, cold, freezing and/or desiccation tolerance, and carbon and nitrogen resource reallocation and storage reserve synthesis. Late dormancy acquisition may lead to desiccation or cold injury, irrevocable loss of resources, or other negative consequences, while early dormancy acquisition abbreviates the growing season and reduces plant productivity. Molecular regulators of dormancy-associated processes are thus potential determinants of plant survival, growth, productivity, and fitness. It is surprising that only a few dormancy-associated molecular regulators have been identified to date in any plant species. The goal of my research program is to discover and characterize molecular regulators of processes implicated in dormancy acquisition and overwintering in forest trees. Since annuals cannot be used to study dormancy, poplars are ideal models for investigating dormancy-associated regulators. My laboratory has new evidence that a group of protein kinases called SnRK1 may be involved in regulating dormancy-associated processes in poplar. I propose to use a number of molecular biology and genomics techniques to discover SnRK1-regulated genes and proteins in poplar during dormancy acquisition, and use this information to identify processes that are regulated by SnRK1 during this transition from active growth to dormancy. I also aim to identify factors that regulate SnRK1. Together, this information will provide new insight into regulation of dormancy-associated processes in forest trees such as poplar.