Networks of macromolecular interactions are fundamental to all biological processes. Until
recently, the progress of functional networks studies in Arabidopsis has been propelled
primarily by genetic-based approaches. On the other hand, the enormous potential of
high-throughput studies of defined macromolecular entities has not been fully realized, largely
because reliable affinity tag-enabled fractionation tools remain unavailable to most
Arabidopsis researchers. To facilitate these studies, this project will develop and deliver a
suite of high throughput cloning-adapted vectors incorporating quantitatively characterized
tandem affinity tags, for rapid proteomic and RNomic analyses of Arabidopsis macromolecular
complexes. In addition, the project will generate a set of robust purification protocols tailored
to the specific affinity tags. These tangible deliverables will be disseminated to the
Arabidopsis research community via the Arabidopsis Biological Resource Center (for binary
vectors and plant lines), professional publications, TAIR as well as the project website (the
purification protocols). This contribution will enable systems-level studies in a variety of areas
of plant biology by many groups presently prevented from doing so by prohibitive cost of
conducting the optimization studies in-house. Broader Impacts. In addition to the tangible
deliverables for the Arabidopsis research community in the form of vectors, plant lines and
experimental protocols, this project will also make significant contributions to long-standing
goals of NSF of integrating research, training and education. First, it will provide an
outstanding interdisciplinary training for graduate students and a postdoctoral associate that
involves a wide range of approaches, different kinds of expertise, and engages collaborators
at two different sites. Second, every semester two undergraduates will be trained and
incorporated into the project team at UMKC - an urban institution with >20% students coming
from underrepresented minority groups, i.e. considerably higher than national average. Third,
the project will establish, in collaboration with the Institute for Urban Education (IUE) at UMKC,
a rigorous and innovative "wet bench/e-bench" practical course that is custom-tailored to the
needs and the mission of IUE to train science teachers specifically with the explicit goal of
reducing the achievement gap for urban K-12 students
recently, the progress of functional networks studies in Arabidopsis has been propelled
primarily by genetic-based approaches. On the other hand, the enormous potential of
high-throughput studies of defined macromolecular entities has not been fully realized, largely
because reliable affinity tag-enabled fractionation tools remain unavailable to most
Arabidopsis researchers. To facilitate these studies, this project will develop and deliver a
suite of high throughput cloning-adapted vectors incorporating quantitatively characterized
tandem affinity tags, for rapid proteomic and RNomic analyses of Arabidopsis macromolecular
complexes. In addition, the project will generate a set of robust purification protocols tailored
to the specific affinity tags. These tangible deliverables will be disseminated to the
Arabidopsis research community via the Arabidopsis Biological Resource Center (for binary
vectors and plant lines), professional publications, TAIR as well as the project website (the
purification protocols). This contribution will enable systems-level studies in a variety of areas
of plant biology by many groups presently prevented from doing so by prohibitive cost of
conducting the optimization studies in-house. Broader Impacts. In addition to the tangible
deliverables for the Arabidopsis research community in the form of vectors, plant lines and
experimental protocols, this project will also make significant contributions to long-standing
goals of NSF of integrating research, training and education. First, it will provide an
outstanding interdisciplinary training for graduate students and a postdoctoral associate that
involves a wide range of approaches, different kinds of expertise, and engages collaborators
at two different sites. Second, every semester two undergraduates will be trained and
incorporated into the project team at UMKC - an urban institution with >20% students coming
from underrepresented minority groups, i.e. considerably higher than national average. Third,
the project will establish, in collaboration with the Institute for Urban Education (IUE) at UMKC,
a rigorous and innovative "wet bench/e-bench" practical course that is custom-tailored to the
needs and the mission of IUE to train science teachers specifically with the explicit goal of
reducing the achievement gap for urban K-12 students
Arabidopsis 2010 Program:
Supported by the National Science Foundation
Supported by the National Science Foundation
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
