Aiming for a comprehensive search for genes that regulate the mechanical properties of plant organs

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K23753
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Research Activity Start-up
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: 0702:Biology at cellular to organismal levels, and related fields
• Research Institution: Nara Institute of Science and Technology
• Principal Investigator: Nakata Miyuki (中田未友希) 奈良先端科学技術大学院大学, 先端科学技術研究科, 助教 (60707579)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-08-30 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: 力学特性 / 曲げ剛性 / ヤング率 / 木質配置 / 断面二次モーメント / マイクロフォーカスX線CT

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Increase of the throughput of the quantitative evaluation technique for the mechanical properties of plant organs was achieved and by using the same method, we found one natural variation accession with a different Young's modulus and wood tissue arrangement compared to the standard accession Col-0. It was also suggested that the variation in Young's modulus within a strain may affect the detection accuracy of the difference between strains. Therefore, we analyzed the mutant of genes that affect the formation of known secondary cell walls, and verified the degree of variation in flexural rigidity and Young's modulus and whether or not they could be detected. Unexpectedly, there was no change in flexural rigidity or Young's modulus in the analyzed stems of the mutant. From analyses of the internal structure, it was found that the influence on the moment of inertia of the xylem is small despite the significant increase in the area of the xylem.

Free Research Field

植物形態発生学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究で得た力学特性が変化するシロイヌナズナ自然多型系統を標準系統であるCol-0と遺伝子多型解析することにより、力学特性および木質配置に関わる遺伝子同定につながることが期待される。また、十分な検出感度を得るためには力学特性のみではなく内部構造も同時に調べる必要性を見出したことは、今後の改良に向けた指針となるだろう。さらに、花茎の木質配置やその定量化にマイクロフォーカスX線CTを用いた方法を確立したこと、同方法がユーカリにも適用可能であることを見出したことは、今後の力学特性と木質配置を組み合わせたスクリーニング法の確立につながるとともに、将来的に様々な植物種への展開が期待できる成果である。