Descripción del proyecto
SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE DEMANDS THE MOST EFFICIENT USE OF RESOURCES TO BE TRANSLATED INTO THE MAXIMUM CROP YIELD. BREEDING FOR OPTIMIZED FRUITS AND SEEDS HAS BEEN CARRIED OUT FOR MANY YEARS. HOWEVER MUCH LESS EFFORT HAS BEEN DEVOTED TO IMPROVE PLANT ARCHITECTURE IN SPITE OF ITS POTENTIAL IMPACT IN PRODUCTIVITY. THE CONCEPT OF NEW PLANT TYPE (NPT) OR IDEAL PLANT ARCHITECTURE (IPA) COINED IN RICE AND WHEAT, PROPOSES IDEAL PLANT FORMS THAT WOULD INCREASE PRODUCTIVITY. ONE KEY MODIFICATION OF SUCH PLANTS IS ALIMITED NUMBER OF LATERAL BRANCHES. OPTIMIZATION OF SHOOT BRANCHING ALLOWS A MORE EFFICIENT USE OF SPACE AND RESOURCES (LIGHT, NUTRIENTS), FACILITATES MECHANICAL HARVESTING AND INCREASES YIELD. HOWEVER, CLASSICAL BREEDING FOR IMPROVED PRODUCT TRAITS HAS OFTEN BEEN INCOMPATIBLE WITH BREEDING FOR IMPROVED PLANT ARCHITECTURE AND SHOOT BRANCHING PATTERNS HAVE NOT BEEN A MAIN TARGET OF SELECTION, WITH SOME EXCEPTIONS OF SPECIES IN WHICH STRONG APICAL DOMINANCE HAS BEEN FAVOURED (EG. SUNFLOWER, MAIZE).IT IS OF GREAT AGRONOMICAL INTEREST TO IDENTIFY CANDIDATE GENES TO BE USED AS TOOLS TO IMPROVE CROP PLANTARCHITECTURE. AN EXCELLENT CANDIDATE IS BRANCHED1 (BRC1), A GENE WHICH STRONGLY SUPPRESSES BRANCH OUTGROWTH AND HAS LOCAL, NON-PLEIOTROPIC EFFECTS RESTRICTED TO AXILLARY BUDS. AN ADDITIONAL ADVANTAGE OF THIS GENE IS THAT ITS FUNCTION IS CONSERVED IN ALL ANGIOSPERMS ANALYZED SO FAR SO KNOWLEDGE OBTAINED IN ARABIDOPSIS CAN BE TRANSFERRED TO CROP SPECIES. OUR AIMS IN THIS PROJECT ARE, FIRST, TO GET FURTHER INSIGHT INTO THE MOLECULAR STRUCTURE, BIOCHEMICAL FUNCTION AND REGULATION OF THE BRC1 PROTEIN AND BRC1 GENE REGULATION, TO IDENTIFY KEY AMINO ACIDS AND DNA MOTIFS SUSCEPTIBLE TO CAUSE DOMINANT CHANGES IN THE ACTIVITY OR STABILITY OF ITS PRODUCTS. SECOND, TO CHARACTERIZE ADDITIONAL GENETIC COMPONENTS OF THIS BIOLOGICAL PROCESS THAT CAN BE USED AS TOOLS TO CONTROL PLANT ARCHITECTURE. THE MID-TERM GOAL IS TO PROVIDE USEFUL KNOWLEDGE THAT WILL ALLOW DIRECT A-LA-CARTE GENETIC MODIFICATION OF PLANT ARCHITECTURE IN PRODUCTION LINES. ATRONES DE RAMIFICACION\GENES TCP\ARABIDOPSIS\YEMAS AXILARES\DESARROLLO DE PLANTAS