This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).
Scientific Merit: Seedlings have little or no protection against non-biotic stresses present in the environment (i.e. heat, ultraviolet sunlight [UV], salt, etc). The initial components of the sensing mechanisms that control tolerance to specific stresses remain unknown. It is therefore important to develop an understanding of how signal transduction systems within the seedling are activated by environmental stresses. The project will study the signal transduction system(s) that operates to produce the amino acid phenylalanine. Phenylalanine in turn serves as the precursor to many compounds that have a role in protecting plants against environmental stress. This signal transduction system appears to act in concert with several plant hormones known to have a role in how plants respond to environmental stress. The research will be conducted using Arabidopsis, a model plant organism, wherein each step of the signaling pathway that leads to the synthesis of the amino acid phenylalanine can be studied in detail.
Broader Impact. Dissecting and understanding a simple stress-induced signaling pathway allows for the participation of undergraduate students as researchers and as authors on publications. Understanding this basic "stress cassette" in a young plant will allow researchers to evaluate many stresses with respect to their signaling pathways, their relationship to known stress-reported plant hormones and the specific compounds they direct the plant to produce. This is an important broader impact as much of crop loss worldwide arises from stresses incurred within the first two weeks after seeds are planted. The available arable land, both urban and rural, is decreasing, and the levels of environmental stressors are greater than ever before. Understanding how stresses are perceived is relevant for crop breeding, crop productivity, range management and the propagation of healthier foodstuffs.
