玉米miR169及靶基因ZmNF-YA13调控硝态氮吸收和利用的分子机理解析

硝态氮是玉米主要的氮素营养来源，它是决定玉米生物量和产量的核心因素之一。提高作物氮素养分利用效率，减少化肥施用量是现代农业亟需解决的重大问题。miRNA参与的转录后调控在植物氮素吸收利用过程中发挥着重要作用，但是玉米中对于miRNA介导的硝态氮吸收和利用的相关研究仍然十分缺乏。前期研究发现玉米miR169通过靶向剪切转录因子NF-YA13进而负调控玉米根部硝酸盐的积累。本项目将在已有的研究基础上，综合运用遗传学、分子生物学及细胞生物学的手段，详细分析miR169、靶基因NF-YA13及其下游调控基因在硝态氮吸收、转运和分配过程中的生物学功能，揭示作物硝态氮吸收和利用的分子机制，构建硝态氮信号调控分子网络，为作物氮素高效利用的遗传改良提供理论依据。

Nitrate is the main nitrogen source of maize, which determines the biomass and yield. Increasing the efficiency of crop nitrogen use efficiency and reducing the application of chemical fertilizers are the major issues needed to be solved urgently in modern agriculture. MiRNA-mediated post transcriptional regulation plays an important role in plant nitrogen uptake and utilization, but relevant studies on miRNA-mediated nitrate nitrogen uptake and utilization is largely unknow in maize. In previous studies, we found that miR169 negatively regulates nitrate accumulation in maize roots through its target gene transcription factor NF-YA13. This project will further analyze the detailed functions of miR169, NF-YA13 and its downstream regulatory genes on the basis of the exisiting data, to provide information for the molecular network of nitrate nitrogen signal transduction and the theoretical basis of genetic improvement of crop nitrogen use efficiency.