Pheromonal control of gamete determination and differentiation in Ceratopteris

水蕨配子决定和分化的信息素控制

• 批准号: 1258091
• 负责人: Jo Ann Banks
• 金额: $ 30万
• 依托单位: Purdue University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2013
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2013-05-01 至 2015-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1258091&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Pheromonal; control; gamete; determination; differentiation

In animals, the gender of an individual and the gamete it produces is typically determined by a process that depends on specific chomosomes, such as the X and Y chromosomes in humans. Very little is known about this process in plants despte the fact that the production of gametes is essential for plants to reproduce. This project seeks to discover how plant gender is determined using a species whose gender is epigenetically determined by a chemical pheromone that is produced by hermaphroditic individuals and causes its neighbors to become male. To determine how the presence or absence of the pheromone determines gender type at the molecular level, all of the genes that are expressed throughout male and hermaphrodite development will be identified by sequencing expressed genes, and co-expression networks underlying gender determination and differentiation identified. Using a simple reverse genetics approach (RNAi), the functions of transcription factors that change significantly in their expression with respect to gender will be tested. The discovery of plant gender-determining genes has important implications in food production, as grain, fruit and seed production depend on a plant's ability to produce egg and sperm at the right time and place. The research described will be performed by undergraduate and graduate students, including members of groups underrepresented in science, providing them with training in biology, biochemistry, statistics, bioinformatics and critical thinking.

在动物中，一个个体的性别及其产生的配子通常取决于一个取决于特定的男体的过程，例如人类中的X和Y染色体。 对于植物中的这一过程鲜为人知的是，配子的产生对于植物的繁殖至关重要。 该项目旨在发现植物性别是如何使用性别表观遗传学的物种确定的，该物种是由雌雄同体个体产生的化学信息素决定的，并导致其邻居成为男性。 为了确定信息素的存在或不存在如何在分子水平上确定性别类型，将通过测序表达的基因确定整个男性和雌雄同体发育的所有基因，以及确定性别确定和鉴定的性别确定的共表达网络。 使用简单的反向遗传学方法（RNAi），将测试转录因子在其表达中相对于性别而发生的显着变化的功能。 发现植物性别性别基因的发现对粮食生产具有重要意义，因为谷物，水果和种子的生产取决于植物在适当的时间和地点产生鸡蛋和精子的能力。 所描述的研究将由本科生和研究生进行，包括科学领域的人数不足的群体成员，为他们提供了生物学，生物化学，统计学，生物信息学和批判性思维的培训。