Structural study of DELLA proteins and their target transcription factors for the generation of the next Green Revolution

2020 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K23658
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Research Activity Start-up
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: 0601:Agricultural chemistry and related fields
• Research Institution: University of Tsukuba (2020); The University of Tokyo (2019)
• Principal Investigator: NOSAKI Shohei 筑波大学, 生命環境系, 助教 (20850910)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-08-30 – 2021-03-31
• Keywords: 緑の革命 / 転写制御因子 / ジベレリン / DELLAタンパク質 / ブラシノステロイド / BZR転写因子 / X線結晶構造解析 / DNA結合特異性

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The Green Revolution plants, which have contributed to the food supply around the world, are difficult to fall over due to their low height. On the other hand, they have a disadvantage of requiring a huge amount of fertilizer due to their reduced nitrogen absorption capacity. Both of these traits of the Green Revolution plants are in fact caused by a high accumulation of DELLA protein, a key transcriptional regulator which recognize diverse classes of transcription factors. In this study, we conducted biochemical and structural studies on the mechanism of the recognition of diverse transcription factors by DELLA, and even the mechanism of the regulation in gene expression by the target transcription factors.

Free Research Field

植物生化学、構造生物学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究で対象とする転写制御因子はいずれも植物が成長・発達や窒素栄養吸収に関与する極めて重要な因子である。そのため、それらの分子機能を分子または原子レベルで明らかにした本研究成果によって、有用形質植物を合理的に創出するための基盤技術開発につながることが期待される。