Gerald A. Berkowitz
IOS Division of Integrative Organismal Systems
BIO Directorate for Biological Sciences
Start Date:
September 1, 2006
Expires:
August 31, 2009 (Estimated)
Awarded Amount to Date:
$2155049
Investigator(s):
Joseph Kieber jkieber@unc.edu (Principal Investigator)
Dennis Mathews (Co-Principal Investigator) George Schaller (Co-Principal Investigator) Carol Parker (Co-Principal Investigator)
Sponsor:
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
104 AIRPORT DR STE 2200
CHAPEL HILL, NC 27599 919/966-3411
NSF Program(s):
PROCESSES STRUCS & INTEGRITY, ENVIRONMENTAL GENOMICS, PLANT GENOME RESEARCH PROJECT
Field Application(s):
0000099 Other Applications NEC
Program Reference Code(s):
SMET, BIOT, 9251, 9183, 9178, 1684
Program Element Code(s):
7658, 1693, 1329
ABSTRACT
The gene network: This project focuses on a gene network that regulates plant responses to
cytokinin, a key hormonal regulator of plant growth and development. The initial steps in
cytokinin signaling are mediated by a 'two-component' system that transmits information from
membrane to nucleus. The two-component system makes use of histidine kinases that act as
cytokinin receptors, histidine-containing phosphotransfer proteins that transduce the initial
signal, and response regulators that regulate the signal output. The transcriptional targets of this
pathway as well as other outputs have yet to be determined. This project will delineate the
network of genes and proteins regulated by two-component signaling elements of Arabidopsis.
This two-component signaling network includes the transcription factors that control gene
expression as well as interacting proteins that regulate other aspects of signal output.
Functional characterization: Transcription factors will be characterized in terms of the genes that
they regulate. Proteins will be characterized in terms of their protein-protein interactions within
the signaling network. The physiological function of the network elements will be defined in
terms of their role in regulating cytokinin responses as well as seed size, meristem function,
vascular development, leaf and cotyledon morphology, metal ion homeostasis, and circadian
rhythms.
Sharing of results: Genomic information and tools generated will be made available to the
research community through the web and through standard methods of publication in a timely
fashion. Datasets of general interest, that are not made available through publication, will be
deposited on the project web site within two years of their generation.
Significance of work: These studies will define the circuitry by which the two-component gene
network acts to alter plant growth and development. In addition, these studies will reveal
connections between this pathway and other cellular networks. Determining how this integration
is achieved will contribute to an understanding of signaling networks in plants and will serve as a
model for examining other interactions within the plant cell. The techniques and tools developed
during the course of these studies will assist gene studies in Arabidopsis and in other plant
species.
Broader impact: Results from the project will benefit society through the understanding of a
critical gene network that regulates multiple traits of agronomic importance. Elucidation of these
roles will provide avenues to modify such agriculturally relevant traits such as senescence, plant
transformation, grain yield and filling, and patterns of growth and development. The plant
research community will benefit by the optimization of novel research techniques and the
development of new community resources. The proposed research will enhance the
infrastructure of research and education by providing hands-on training for undergraduate
students, graduate students, and post-doctoral researchers within the PIs' labs. In addition, the
PIs will partner will local groups to assist in the creation and maintenance of programs aimed at
fostering science education in grades K-12.
PUBLICATIONS PRODUCED AS A RESULT OF THIS RESEARCH
(Showing: 1 - 6 of 6).
Hutchison, C.E. and Kieber, J. J..
"Signaling via Histidine-containing phosphotransfer proteins in Arabidopsis,"
Plant Signaling & Behavior,
v.2,
2007,
p. 4.
Hutchison, CE; Li, J; Argueso, C; Gonzalez, M; Lee, E; Lewis, MW; Maxwell, BB; Perdue, TD; Schaller, GE; Alonso, JM; Ecker, JR; Kieber, JJ.
"The Arabidopsis histidine phosphotransfer proteins are redundant positive regulators of cytokinin signaling,"
PLANT CELL,
v.18,
2006,
p. 3073
- 3087.
Kieber J, Araki, T.
"Cell signalling and gene regulation,"
Curr Opin Plant Biol.,
v.9,
2006,
p. 445.
To, JPC; Deruere, J; Maxwell, BB; Morris, VF; Hutchison, CE; Ferreira, FJ; Schaller, GE; Kieber, JJ.
"Cytokinin regulates type-A Arabidopsis response regulator activity and protein stability via two-component phosphorelay,"
PLANT CELL,
v.19,
2007,
p. 3901
- 3914.
To, JPC; Kieber, JJ.
"Cytokinin signaling: two-components and more,"
TRENDS IN PLANT SCIENCE,
v.13,
2008,
p. 85
- 92.
Tun, NN; Livaja, M; Kieber, JJ; Scherer, GFE.
"Zeatin-induced nitric oxide (NO) biosynthesis in Arabidopsis thaliana mutants of NO biosynthesis and of two-component signaling genes,"
NEW PHYTOLOGIST,
v.178,
2008,
p. 515
- 531.
(Showing: 1 - 6 of 6).
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