Bilateral BBSRC NSF/ Bio: Modelling Light Control of Development

University Of Texas At Austin, Austin TX

Investigators

Abstract

Changes in light availability in the environment can be caused by encroaching vegetation or the progression of the seasons and can alter the course of plant development. Developmental flexibility (plasticity) allows plants to adapt to changing environments and is essential for their survival. In this project, a collaborative team of researchers from the US (University of Texas Austin) and the UK (Edinburgh University) will use a combination of mathematical modeling and experimentation to examine at the molecular level how light regulates plant development. Understanding plant responses to changing environments, including light, will allow for more efficient food production. This project will support informal science education, outreach to middle and high school students, and training in modeling and experimental techniques for postdoctoral fellows and undergraduate students. Throughout the plant life cycle, the phytochrome family of photoreceptors detect alterations in the light environment and propagates adaptive changes in plant architecture; however it is unclear how this is executed at the molecular level. The preliminary data presented here provide compelling evidence that light controls development via the Shoot Apical Meristem (SAM). HECTATE (HEC) transcription factors have recently been shown to control cell proliferation by regulating SAM genes. The preliminary data demonstrate that HECs operate through a Phytochrome Interaction Factor (PIF)-based mechanism, implying a direct molecular link between PIFs and the SAM. This study will integrate experimental and theoretical approaches to: (1) elucidate the molecular events through which light controls SAM function; (2) develop a new conceptual model for light signaling; and (3) provide technological advances in plant architecture manipulation for plant breeding. The project benefits from significant modelling and data storage/sharing resources offered by partner labs. The model will help to determine how different light regimes alter pathway dynamics and development, providing a systems level understanding of pathway behavior. The ultimate goal of the project will be to generate a molecular and systems level understanding of how light regulates organogenesis, providing a new paradigm for light signaling. This collaborative US/UK project is supported by the US National Science Foundation and the UK Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council.