Location: Plant Genetics Research
Project Number: 5070-21000-041-001-R
Project Type: Reimbursable Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Mar 15, 2016
End Date: Dec 31, 2019
Objective:
The objectives of this proposal are 1: Elucidate the physiological and molecular basis of nodal root growth responses to water deficit in the lab. 2: Characterize nodal root growth and interrogate the root growth zone transcriptome in response to water deficit in the field. 3. Assemble an informatics web resource for data management, integration and testing of hypotheses.
Approach:
Determine the changes in root elongation and cell expansion patterns, transcriptome, plasma membrane proteome, metabolome, and hormone profiles in two specific regions within the growth zone of nodal roots grown at four defined soil moisture levels under controlled environment conditions. Analysis. Determine the changes in root elongation and cell expansion patterns, and root growth zone transcriptome in the field under control, moderate, and extreme soil water deficit conditions. Assemble web resources and graphical visualization tools for management, analyses, and integration of multi-omics data generated in Objectives 1 and 2, allowing a mechanistic understanding of the changes observed in nodal roots. Integrate multi-omics datasets in a Cyber Studio system to build in silico network modules of candidates/pathways and generate hypotheses for empirical testing. Use transcriptomic data from Objectives 1 and 2 to evaluate the level of conservation in nodal root gene expression in lab vs field samples. Use genetic and physiological approaches to test the significance of candidate pathways in regulating nodal root growth in controlled environments and/or field conditions under water deficit, and targeted molecular, metabolomic, and physiological experiments to examine causal relationships.
