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An integrative transcriptome and metabolic profiling study of resource mobilization in wheat
Nutrient utilization in wheat is being investigated using the 160 year old Broadbalk experiment at Rothamsted and a field trial with varieties selected for contrasting source-sink resource patterns (high protein, high starch, large and small leaf varieties, fast developing and a non-dwarfed variety). Transcriptomic and metabolomic data have been generated and combined to form a co-response network.
Fig 4: Pathway interactions responsive to nitrogen stress: determined from transcriptomic and metabolomic studies of field grown wheat
Objectives:
1. To identify genes and metabolic processes involved in nutrient remobilization which may be candidates for variety improvement
2. To test the hypothesis that the processes involved in resource (N and S) mobilization during wheat grain filling can be elucidated by the integrated analysis of transcript and metabolite data sets from varieties with contrasting developmental profiles grown under a range of nutritional inputs.
3. To investigate the assumption that the processes operating preferentially at limiting resource availability, are the major contributors to the efficient use of those resources, particularly leaf to seed remobilization
4. To use transcriptome and metabolite profiling to identify and give insights on candidate regulators of the system
5. To examine how remobilisation processes are affected by nutrition
6. To examine how genotypes with contrasting developmental profiles vary in their ability to remobilise resources from leaf to grain
7. To provide a description (publicly available) of the transcriptome and metabolome of wheat leaves during grain filling
The project will lead to a better understanding of N and S utilisation in wheat and will enable improved fertilisation regimes to be recommended. This will have a major impact on N leaching and will be of considerable benefit to the environment, effecting long-term water pollution levels. In addition, the more targeted fertilisation regime that could be possible would have a significant impact on wheat yields, improving the sustainability of world food production.
The project will identify candidate genes, metabolic pathways and specific metabolites involved in nutrient remobilisation processes. This will result in many leads for further specific targeted research.
The knowledge generated will be of specific value to plant biologists, crop physiologists, geneticists, agronomists and environmentalists.
Both seed companies/breeders and the biotechnology industry could potentially exploit the output.
The technologies employed and developed, namely metabolic profiling methodologies, bio-informatics and particularly the procedures for the integration of the datasets will be of value to all biologists adopting similar approaches.
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