Stomatal development and frost tolerance pathways in grape

我的研究计划的长期目标是阐明多年生植物的逆境耐受性和气孔形成的调节。极端温度和干旱是影响植物在自然界的分布并限制农业植物生产力的主要压力。气候变化随之而来的是这种压力条件的增加。植物如何适应各种非生物胁迫是一个基本的生物学问题，提高植物的抗逆性对于维持或提高粮食安全所需的农业生产力至关重要。对多年生植物来说，耐逆性尤其重要，因为一年中遭受的损害也会对随后几年的表现和产量产生负面影响，因此将在几年内产生相当大的经济影响。*一些植物品种比其他植物更能适应不断变化的不利环境条件。例如，野生葡萄(Vitis Riparia)比用于酿酒的驯化植物(如葡萄)更能在加拿大寒冷的冬季生存下来。问题是为什么？*有人认为，秋季的低温引发了一系列事件，统称为冷驯化，从而提高了对霜冻的耐受性。在模式植物拟南芥中，已经确定了调控这一过程中关键步骤的转录因子。它们的表达和活性被发现受到严格的调控，以最大限度地减少对植物发育的负面影响。有趣的是，一种名为ICE(CBF表达的诱导因子；其中CBF=CRT结合因子)的蛋白质不仅在耐寒途径中具有功能，而且在气孔的形成中也具有功能，气孔的开放调节叶片的水分损失，从而影响抗旱性。ICE与核心气孔蛋白SPCH、MUTE和FAMA协同作用。*我建议探索一年生(拟南芥)和多年生植物(拟南芥)之间的差异，以及注册(V.riparia和V.vinifera)对参与逆境反应和发育的关键蛋白(ICE、CBF、SPCH、MUTE和FAMA)进化的影响。我的实验室已经研究葡萄植物超过16年了，完全有能力承担这项任务。这项拟议的研究将确定每种葡萄蛋白的作用以及它们的活性是如何受到调节的。这些结果将被用来确定什么样的蛋白质修饰可以使葡萄植株在不影响其生长和气孔形成的情况下经受住冰冻的温度。*这项研究将提供有关越冬植物在恶劣环境条件下生存的基本过程的有价值的信息，并产生生产优质酿酒葡萄的想法和工具，并可能应用于其他多年生作物。**

The long-term goal of my research program is to elucidate the regulation of stress tolerance and stomata formation in perennial plants. Extreme temperatures and drought are major stresses that affect the distribution of plants in nature and limit plant productivity in agriculture. Climate change brings with it an increase in such stress conditions. How plants adapt to various abiotic stresses is a fundamental biological question, and improving plant stress tolerance is critical for maintaining or improving agricultural productivity required for food security. Stress tolerance is especially important for perennial plants because damage incurred during one year negatively affects performance and yield also in subsequent years and thus will have considerable economic impact for several years.***Some plant species and varieties are able to adjust better to changing adverse environmental conditions than others. For example, wild grape plants (Vitis riparia) can survive Canadian winters with freezing temperatures better than domesticated plants used for wine production, such as V. vinifera. The question is why? ***It has been suggested that the perception of low temperatures in the fall initiates a series of events, collectively referred to as cold acclimation, that lead to increased frost tolerance. Transcription factors which regulate key steps in this process have been identified for the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. Their expression and activity was found to be tightly regulated to minimize negative effects on plant development. Interestingly, a protein called ICE (Inducer of CBF Expression; whereby CBF= CRT Binding Factor) not only has a function in the frost tolerance pathway but also in the formation of stomata, openings that regulate the loss of water from leaves and thereby affect drought tolerance. ICE acts in concert with the core stomatal proteins SPEECHLESS (SPCH), MUTE and FAMA. ***I propose to explore the differences between annual (Arabidopsis) and perennial plants and the effects of domestification (V. riparia versus V. vinifera) on the evolution of key proteins (ICE, CBF, SPCH, MUTE and FAMA) involved in stress responses and development. My lab has been studying grape plants for more than 16 years and is well positioned to take on this task. The proposed research will determine the roles of each grape protein and how their activity is regulated. The results will be used to identify what protein modifications would allow grape plants to survive freezing temperatures without compromising their growth and formation of stomata. ***This research will provide valuable information about the fundamental processes overwintering plants use to survive harsh environmental conditions, and generate ideas and tools for producing superior wine grapes, with potential application to other perennial crops.**