NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology FY 2019: Deciphering CLE Peptide Signaling Pathways in Sunflower (Helianthus annuus)

2019 财年 NSF 生物学博士后奖学金：破译向日葵（Helianthus annuus）中的 CLE 肽信号通路

• 批准号: 1906389
• 负责人: Daniel Jones
• 金额: $ 21.6万
• 依托单位: Jones, Daniel Scott
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Fellowship Award
• 财政年份: 2019
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2019-07-01 至 2022-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1906389&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: NSF; Postdoctoral; Fellowship; Biology; FY

This action funds an NSF National Plant Genome Initiative Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology for FY 2019. The fellowship supports a research and training plan in a host laboratory for the Fellow who also presents a plan to broaden participation in biology. The title of the research and training plan for this fellowship to Dr. Daniel Scott Jones is "Deciphering CLE peptide signaling pathways in sunflower (Helianthus annuus)". The host institution for the fellowship is the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill and the sponsoring scientist is Dr. Zachary Nimchuk. Unlike animals, plants continue to develop and generate new organs throughout their lifespan. To support this continual growth, plants maintain a functional set of stem cells that can divide and become any other type of cell within the plant as needed; giving rise to all cells found in stems, leaves, roots, flowers, and seeds. Even slight changes in the number of stem cells maintained in the shoot of a plant can have a direct impact on the number and size of organs it produces. Understanding how stem cell identity is controlled in plants is directly linked with our ability to influence agronomically important traits such as fruit size, grain yield or even overall crop health and performance. This project aims to uncover key genes regulating stem cell identity in sunflower, an important seed and oil crop. During the course of this project, tools will be developed to further the use of sunflower as a model research system for studying species within the sunflower family (Asteraceae), one of the largest plant families with great economic significance/potential. Support provided during this fellowship will also enable research opportunities specifically catered toward first-generation college students at the host institution. Training objectives include acquiring new skills in comparative genomics, development, epigenetics and bioinformatics. Understanding how conserved signaling pathways mediate cell-cell communication to coordinate diverse developmental forms is a central question within the biology. CLE (CLAVATA3/Endosperm surrounding region-related) peptide signaling represents a conserved pathway regulating stem cell identity and organogenesis across highly divergent species. The main objectives of this project are to: 1) identify CLE signaling components expressed during inflorescence development in sunflower; 2) define signaling outputs in sunflower shoot and root meristems in response to CLE peptides via RNA-seq and ATAC -seq; 3) implement CRISPR-Cas9 mutagenesis in sunflower and functionally analyze key CLE pathway components; 4) complete an intensive scientific training program, developing new skills in comparative and large-scale genomics while producing foundational data from which to build an independent research program. All genomic datasets generated during the course of this study will be deposited into the publicly accessible Gene Expression Omnibus-GEO (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/geo/) and will be freely shared with the sunflower community via the Institut National de la Recherche Aronomique (INRA) Sunflower Bioinformatics Resource site (https://www.heliagene.org/). Additionally, all CRISPR-Cas9 constructs, optimized for use in sunflower, will be made available by request and through Addgene, the nonprofit global plasmid repository (https://www.addgene.org/), for ease of distribution. Keywords: sunflower, RNA-seq, ATAC-seq, transcriptome, stem cell, intercellular signaling, inflorescence, flowerThis award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

该行动资助了 2019 财年 NSF 国家植物基因组计划生物学博士后研究奖学金。该奖学金支持该研究员在主办实验室的研究和培训计划，该研究员还提出了一项扩大生物学参与的计划。 Daniel Scott Jones 博士的研究和培训计划的标题是“破译向日葵（Helianthus annuus）中的 CLE 肽信号通路”。该奖学金的主办机构是位于教堂山的北卡罗来纳大学，赞助科学家是 Zachary Nimchuk 博士。与动物不同，植物在其一生中不断发育和产生新的器官。为了支持这种持续生长，植物维持一组功能性干细胞，这些干细胞可以根据需要分裂并成为植物内的任何其他类型的细胞；产生茎、叶、根、花和种子中的所有细胞。即使植物芽中干细胞数量的微小变化也会对其产生的器官的数量和大小产生直接影响。了解植物中干细胞身份的控制方式与我们影响重要农艺性状（如果实大小、谷物产量，甚至作物整体健康和性​​能）的能力直接相关。该项目旨在揭示向日葵（一种重要的种子和油料作物）中调节干细胞身份的关键基因。在该项目过程中，将开发工具以进一步利用向日葵作为模型研究系统来研究向日葵科（菊科）内的物种，向日葵科是具有巨大经济意义/潜力的最大植物科之一。该奖学金期间提供的支持还将为主办机构的第一代大学生提供专门的研究机会。 培训目标包括获得比较基因组学、发育、表观遗传学和生物信息学方面的新技能。 了解保守的信号通路如何介导细胞间通讯以协调不同的发育形式是生物学中的一个中心问题。 CLE（CLAVATA3/胚乳周围区域相关）肽信号传导代表了调节高度分化物种的干细胞身份和器官发生的保守途径。该项目的主要目标是：1）鉴定向日葵花序发育过程中表达的CLE信号成分； 2) 通过RNA-seq和ATAC-seq定义向日葵芽和根分生组织响应CLE肽的信号输出； 3）在向日葵中实施CRISPR-Cas9诱变并对关键的CLE通路组件进行功能分析； 4) 完成密集的科学培训计划，发展比较和大规模基因组学的新技能，同时产生基础数据来建立独立的研究计划。本研究过程中生成的所有基因组数据集都将存入可公开访问的基因表达综合库-GEO (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/geo/)，并将通过以下方式与向日葵社区免费共享：国家原子能研究所 (INRA) 向日葵生物信息学资源网站 (https://www.heliagene.org/)。此外，所有针对向日葵进行优化的 CRISPR-Cas9 构建体将根据要求并通过非营利性全球质粒存储库 Addgene (https://www.addgene.org/) 提供，以便于分发。关键词：向日葵、RNA-seq、ATAC-seq、转录组、干细胞、细胞间信号传导、花序、花该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

项目成果

CLAVATA Signaling Ensures Reproductive Development in Plants across Thermal Environments

CLAVATA 信号确保植物在热环境中的生殖发育

• DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2020.10.008
• 发表时间: 2021-01-11
• 期刊: Current Biology
• 影响因子: 9.2
• 作者: Jones DS;John A;VanDerMolen KR;Nimchuk ZL
• 通讯作者: Nimchuk ZL