Detection and quantification of strigolactones in Populus
EMSL Project ID
48040
Abstract
Plant architecture plays a major role in determining photosynthetic light use efficiency and biomass yield. Shoot branching is one of the key determinants of plant architecture. The identification of strigolactones (SLs) as a new class of plant hormones controlling shoot branching was a recent breakthrough in the field of plant biology. Furthermore, the synthesis of SLs in plants is regulated by the nutrient availability in soil and SLs exuded by roots serve as host recognition signals for symbiotic arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. Therefore, SLs are viewed as integrative signaling molecules that couple nutrient availability and microbial symbiosis belowground to control plant architecture and productivity aboveground. Despite this important discovery, essentially nothing is known about this important class of plant hormones in the woody bioenergy crop Populus. We propose to utilize high performance mass spectrometry to determine whether this new class of plant hormones (strigolactones) originally discovered in herbaceous plants also exist in the woody perennial bioenergy crop Populus, which also serves as an excellent model for environmental and ecological studies. The high performance mass spectrometry will allow unequivocal determination of this important class of small chemical compounds in a plant species in which strigolactone pathway has not been explored and is urgently needed. Successful outcomes from this proposed research will immediately lead to new research directions in DOE's Plant-Microbe Interfaces Scientific Focus Area. In particular, it enables the dissection of the signaling mechanism underlying symbiotic Populus-arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi interactions in a changing environment. It also offers a new approach for genetic improvement of biomass productivity through genetic modification of plant architecture.
Project Details
Project type
Exploratory Research
Start Date
2013-12-02
End Date
2014-09-30
Status
Closed
Released Data Link
Team
Principal Investigator
Co-Investigator(s)