Dissecting the mechanisms of FERONIA and related receptor kinase-mediated pollen-pistil interactions

剖析 FERONIA 和相关受体激酶介导的花粉-雌蕊相互作用的机制

• 批准号: 1645858
• 负责人: Alice Cheung
• 金额: $ 45万
• 依托单位: University of Massachusetts Amherst
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2017
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2017-04-15 至 2022-03-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1645858&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Dissecting; mechanisms; FERONIA; related; receptor

This project addresses how flowering plants achieve fertilization so seeds are produced. Achieving this requires intimate interactions between male (pollen) and female (pistil) to enable growth of a pollen tube to deliver sperm to the embryo sac inside an ovule (the precursor of a seed) for fertilization. The project utilizes the model plant Arabidopsis to understand the molecular designs and biochemical reactions behind these interactions. The focus is on two classes of molecules, one is a family of low molecular weight proteins called, Rapid Alkanization Factors, the other is a class of proteins called receptor kinases and includes a molecule called FERONIA and related proteins. Rapid Alkanization Factors are believed to serve as signals to instruct how these receptor kinases should react in successful pollination and fertilization processes. The goal is to identify the interacting pairs of the Alikinazation Factor and receptor kinase, understand how they interact and their importance to the reproductive process. Given reproduction underlies agricultural yields as well as survival of the species, results from this study should contribute to rational designs aiming at protecting plant species as well as ensuring food supply. The project will provide training opportunities for undergraduates, graduate and postdoctoral students. Findings and materials produced will be shared with the scientific community through publications, with the broader public by being introduced as topics in STEM workshops for high school teachers. Pollen grains germinate on the receptive surface of the pistil, each producing a tube to transport two sperm cells to an embryo sac where the egg cell is located inside an ovule (the precursor organ for a seed). The embryo sac induces rupture of the penetrating pollen tube to release sperm rendering them available for fertilization. This project will rely on biochemical and genetic approaches to examine how RALF-FER and RALF-FER related receptor kinase interactions underlie pollen tube growth and rupture. Several pollen- or ovule-expressed Rapid Alkanization Factors (RALFs), the female-expressed FERONIA (FER) and three related pollen-expressed receptor kinases are selected for the study here. Biochemical efforts will focus on producing pure and active RALFs for testing their activity in pollen tube growth behavior in defined culture medium. Genetic efforts will center on determining the precise temporal and spatial expression pattern of the RALFs and generating mutations in individual RALFs, or combinatorially in multiple RALFs, to determine the impact of their loss on pollination and fertilization. Though some functional roles are emerging for RALFs and the FER family of proteins, e.g. in growth, development, reproduction, defense and symbiosis, most remain unknown. While important in its own right, especially given the impact agricultural production to society, the functional relationship established here could provide a model for studies that extend beyond pollen-pistil and plant reproduction to almost all aspects of plant growth, development and survival.

该项目探讨开花植物如何受精从而产生种子。要实现这一目标，需要雄性（花粉）和雌性（雌蕊）之间的密切相互作用，以使花粉管生长，将精子输送到胚珠（种子的前身）内的胚囊进行受精。该项目利用模式植物拟南芥来了解这些相互作用背后的分子设计和生化反应。重点是两类分子，一类是称为快速碱化因子的低分子量蛋白质家族，另一类是称为受体激酶的蛋白质，包括称为 FERONIA 的分子和相关蛋白质。快速碱化因子被认为是指导这些受体激酶在成功的授粉和受精过程中如何反应的信号。目标是确定阿利激酶因子和受体激酶的相互作用对，了解它们如何相互作用以及它们对生殖过程的重要性。鉴于繁殖是农业产量和物种生存的基础，这项研究的结果应有助于旨在保护植物物种和确保粮食供应的合理设计。该项目将为本科生、研究生和博士后提供培训机会。研究结果和制作的材料将通过出版物与科学界分享，并通过作为高中教师 STEM 研讨会的主题与更广泛的公众分享。花粉粒在雌蕊的接受表面发芽，每个花粉粒产生一根管，将两个精子细胞运输到胚囊，其中卵细胞位于胚珠（种子的前体器官）内。胚囊诱导穿透花粉管破裂，释放精子，使它们可以受精。该项目将依靠生化和遗传学方法来研究 RALF-FER 和 RALF-FER 相关受体激酶相互作用如何导致花粉管生长和破裂。本研究选择了几种花粉或胚珠表达的快速碱化因子 (RALF)、雌性表达的 FERONIA (FER) 和三种相关的花粉表达的受体激酶。生化工作将集中于生产纯且有活性的 RALF，以测试其在特定培养基中花粉管生长行为的活性。遗传工作将集中于确定 RALF 的精确时间和空间表达模式，并在单个 RALF 中产生突变，或在多个 RALF 中组合产生突变，以确定它们的丢失对授粉和受精的影响。尽管 RALF 和 FER 蛋白家族的一些功能作用正在出现，例如在生长、发育、繁殖、防御和共生方面，大多数仍然未知。虽然其本身很重要，特别是考虑到农业生产对社会的影响，但这里建立的函数关系可以为研究提供一个模型，超越花粉雌蕊和植物繁殖，扩展到植物生长、发育和生存的几乎所有方面。

项目成果

Context-specific dependence on FERONIA kinase activity

• DOI: 10.1002/1873-3468.13184
• 发表时间: 2018-07-01
• 期刊: FEBS LETTERS
• 影响因子: 3.5
• 作者: Duan, Qiaohong;Cheung, Alice Y.
• 通讯作者: Cheung, Alice Y.

Malectin/Malectin-like domain-containing proteins: A repertoire of cell surface molecules with broad functional potential.

• DOI: 10.1016/j.tcsw.2021.100056
• 发表时间: 2021-12
• 期刊: Cell surface (Amsterdam, Netherlands)
• 作者: Yang H;Wang D;Guo L;Pan H;Yvon R;Garman S;Wu HM;Cheung AY
• 通讯作者: Cheung AY

LLG2/3 Are Co-receptors in BUPS/ANX-RALF Signaling to Regulate Arabidopsis Pollen Tube Integrity

• DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2019.08.032
• 发表时间: 2019-10-07
• 期刊: CURRENT BIOLOGY
• 影响因子: 9.2
• 作者: Ge, Zengxiang;Zhao, Yuling;Qu, Li-Jia
• 通讯作者: Qu, Li-Jia