Collaborative Resarch: EAGER: Mapping small molecules in the root meristem

合作研究：EAGER：绘制根分生组织中的小分子

• 批准号: 2028649
• 负责人: Alexandra Dickinson
• 金额: $ 15万
• 依托单位: University of California-San Diego
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2020-07-01 至 2023-05-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2028649&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Resarch; EAGER; Mapping; small

It is well appreciated that plants have roots which serve many essential functions, such as structurally supporting the plant and taking up nutrients from the soil to promote the growth of the plant. But what is not clear is the chemical composition of different root compartments and how these chemicals are used to signal the growth of the plant. The research team hopes to discover the identity and function of these chemical compounds by making a chemical map of where these chemical compounds are located in the root structure. They will do that by directing a stream of tiny droplets onto a cut section of the root and letting the resulting droplet splash enter a mass spectrometer, a device that can determine the identity and the amount of each compound dissolved in the scattered droplets. By mounting the root section on a slide that be moved right and left as well as up and down, a two-dimensional map will be recorded of the compounds present in the root. They believe this approach will provide new information related to how roots of plants function.Metabolite and lipid signaling molecules are critical for proper regulation of development in multicellular organisms. The chemical properties of these small molecules enable them to cross cell membranes, function as highly specific ligands to protein receptors, and dynamically convert between different molecular species on short time scales. These abilities facilitate rapid communication of developmental cues across tissues. Defects in the biosynthesis, perception, or metabolism of these compounds can lead to aberrant tissue formation and disease. Despite the critical importance of small molecules, most of our understanding of their function is derived from indirect measurements of these compounds. The investigators will utilize desorption electrospray ionization mass spectrometry imaging (DESI-MSI) to directly measure small molecules in distinct developmental regions of root tissue. The root meristem is an excellent model for this work because cells are organized along a longitudinal developmental gradient, with pluripotent stem cells located at the tip of the root, and differentiated cells localized towards the direction of the shoot. This approach is yielding the identification of novel small molecule regulators of development. Combining DESI-MSI with traditional molecular biology approaches will enable characterization of new roles of metabolite and lipid signaling compounds in stem cell decisions, with implications in both plant and human research.This 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.

众所周知，植物的根具有许多基本功能，例如结构上支撑植物并从土壤中吸收养分以促进植物生长。但目前尚不清楚的是不同根室的化学成分以及这些化学物质如何用于发出植物生长的信号。研究小组希望通过绘制这些化合物在根结构中的位置的化学图来发现这些化合物的身份和功能。他们将通过将微小液滴流引导到根部的切割部分上并让产生的液滴飞溅进入质谱仪来实现这一点，该装置可以确定溶解在分散液滴中的每种化合物的身份和数量。通过将根部分安装在左右以及上下移动的载玻片上，将记录根中存在的化合物的二维图。他们相信这种方法将提供有关植物根部功能的新信息。代谢物和脂质信号分子对于多细胞生物发育的正确调节至关重要。这些小分子的化学特性使它们能够穿过细胞膜，作为蛋白质受体的高度特异性配体，并在短时间内在不同分子种类之间动态转换。这些能力有助于跨组织的发育线索的快速交流。这些化合物的生物合成、感知或代谢的缺陷可能导致异常的组织形成和疾病。尽管小分子至关重要，但我们对其功能的大部分理解都来自对这些化合物的间接测量。研究人员将利用解吸电喷雾电离质谱成像（DESI-MSI）直接测量根组织不同发育区域的小分子。根分生组织是这项工作的一个很好的模型，因为细胞沿着纵向发育梯度组织，多能干细胞位于根的尖端，分化的细胞定位于芽的方向。这种方法正在鉴定新型小分子发育调节剂。将 DESI-MSI 与传统分子生物学方法相结合，将能够表征代谢物和脂质信号化合物在干细胞决策中的新作用，对植物和人类研究都有影响。该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命，并通过评估被认为值得支持利用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准。

项目成果

Non-canonical and developmental roles of the TCA cycle in plants

TCA 循环在植物中的非典型作用和发育作用

• DOI: 10.1016/j.pbi.2023.102382
• 发表时间: 2023-08
• 期刊: Current Opinion in Plant Biology
• 影响因子: 9.5
• 作者: Zhang, Tao;Peng, Jesus T.;Klair, Amman;Dickinson, Alexandra J.
• 通讯作者: Dickinson, Alexandra J.

Chemical imaging reveals diverse functions of tricarboxylic acid metabolites in root growth and development

化学成像揭示了三羧酸代谢物在根生长和发育中的多种功能

• DOI: 10.1101/2022.10.04.510836
• 发表时间: 2022-10-05
• 期刊: Nature Communications
• 影响因子: 16.6
• 作者: Tao Zhang;Sarah E. Noll;Jesus T Peng;Amman Klair;Abigail Tripka;N. Stutzman;C. Cheng;R. Zare;A. Dickinson
• 通讯作者: A. Dickinson