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

休眠是温带森林树木和其他多年生植物为抵御冬季恶劣条件而获得的一种适应。 休眠通常由与秋季相关的环境因素触发，如缩短的日照长度和较低的温度，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，以及碳和氮资源重新分配和储存储备合成。晚休眠的获得可能导致干燥或冷害，不可挽回的资源损失，或其他负面后果，而早休眠的获得会缩短生长季节并降低植物生产力。休眠相关过程的分子调节剂，因此植物生存，生长，生产力和健身的潜在决定因素。令人惊讶的是，迄今为止，在任何植物物种中，只有少数休眠相关的分子调节剂被确定。我的研究计划的目标是发现和表征的分子调节剂的过程中涉及的休眠收购和越冬的林木。由于一年生植物不能用于研究休眠，杨树是理想的模式，研究休眠相关的监管机构。 我的实验室有新的证据表明，一组称为SnRK 1的蛋白激酶可能参与调节白杨休眠相关过程。 我建议使用一些分子生物学和基因组学技术，发现SnRK 1调节的基因和蛋白质在白杨休眠收购，并利用这些信息来确定SnRK 1调节的过程中，从活跃的生长到休眠的过渡。 我还旨在确定调节SnRK 1的因素。 总之，这些信息将为白杨等森林树木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.