Research-PGR: atomic numbers: identifying the conserved genes driving element accumulation in plants

Active Project Grant Awarded Last action

Award ID
2309932
Recipient
Awarding agency
Obligated
$2,513,218

Award facts

Assistance listing
47.074 Biological Sciences
Completion date 86% complete
Funding agency
Division of Emerging Frontiers National Science Foundation
Place of performance
Olivette, MO 63132, USA

Award details come from USAspending.gov.

Description

As the agency reported it.

Abstract
Elements are building blocks of matter that cannot be chemically interconverted. Their acquisition and utilization are essential for all life. Yet, many genes involved in the process of element acquisition are unknown. The hypothesis tested in this proposal is that genes underlying element acquisition can be detected by using their evolutionary conservation. This research uses plant genetic datasets from five diverse species (the model plant arabidopsis, maize, sorghum, soybean, and rice) to identify genes in conserved regions of genomes that direct elemental accumulation. Mutants in these genes in arabidopsis, maize and sorghum will be identified and characterized to determine the mechanisms of element accumulation. Comparing the results of the characterization experiments to the predictions will enable refinement of the comparative approach. The approach will also be extended to utilize data from different environments in each species permitting exploration of interactions between genes and environments in any organism. This approach is extendable to all species that can be sequenced, including other crops. Knowledge of the mechanisms of elemental homeostasis is critical to understanding plant adaptation and necessary to reduce fertilizer requirements in crops. To expand the community of scientists, we will integrate our bioinformatics and genetics research into undergraduate classrooms, bring undergraduates into the lab, conduct after-school activities for middle schoolers, and produce a podcast for scientific trainees and the research community. Elemental acquisition and utilization are fundamental to metabolism in all cellular life. Plants change their metabolism and physiology to accommodate many-fold differences in element availability. Previous work used genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of elemental accumulation across five species and determined that, more often than expected, orthologous genes are present within confidence intervals of these quantitative trait loci. To validate the predictions of gene function, this project will analyze loss-of-function alleles from sequence-indexed mutant populations of arabidopsis, sorghum, and maize for effects on elemental profiles. Among the orthologs in the GWAS experiments are genes likely involved in elemental transport and transcriptional regulators of this process. This project will explore the biology of a subset of candidate genes to determine the aspects of cell biology and gene expression they control. The project will carry out mechanistic investigations of these genes consistent with their functional annotation (e.g., transcription factor; transporter). The orthologous approach not only permits the combining of multiple GWAS experiments across species, but also can create lists of orthologs affecting environmentally contingent or population-specific variation. The project will extend the method to incorporate experiments across multiple environments and multiple population types into the orthology-based approach. This will extend the approach to permit future exploration of gene-by-environment interactions in elemental homeostasis and improve the accurate identification of causative genes from quantitative genetic experiments. 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.

Transactions

Action Obligated Date
Amendment $576,320
Amendment $644,374
Amendment $626,055
Amendment $13,218
Original award $653,251

Subawards

Subrecipient Amount Awarded
Purdue University The Dilkes lab will manage the growth and experimental design for the testing of gene functions using mutant resources. This will include the bioinformatics… $246,644
Trustees Of The Hamline University Of Minnesota Dr. Irina Makarevitch, the lead on the Hamline subcontract and project co-PI, will collaborate with Dr. Baxter to investigate the function of the genes… $68,490
Purdue University The Dilkes lab will manage the growth and experimental design for the testing of gene functions using mutant resources. This will include the bioinformatics… $243,458
Trustees Of The Hamline University Of Minnesota Dr. Irina Makarevitch, the lead on the Hamline subcontract and project co-PI, will collaborate with Dr. Baxter to investigate the function of the genes… $67,202
Purdue University The Dilkes lab will manage the growth and experimental design for the testing of gene functions using mutant resources. This will include the bioinformatics… $240,348
Trustees Of The Hamline University Of Minnesota Dr. Irina Makarevitch, the lead on the Hamline subcontract and project co-PI, will collaborate with Dr. Baxter to investigate the function of the genes… $65,951

Quick answers

Who received award 2309932?

2309932 was awarded to Donald Danforth Plant Science Center by Division of Integrative Organismal Systems (National Science Foundation) on June 1, 2023.

How much is award 2309932 worth?

$2,513,218 has been obligated on 2309932.

Which agency awarded 2309932?

Division of Integrative Organismal Systems (National Science Foundation) awarded 2309932, with funding from Division of Emerging Frontiers (National Science Foundation).

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