Initial Cell Size Affects the Hormone Response in Physcomitrella patens
Presentation Type
Poster/Portfolio
Presenter Major(s)
Cell and Molecular Biology
Mentor Information
Margaret Dietrich
Department
Cell and Molecular Biology
Location
Henry Hall Atrium 91
Start Date
11-4-2012 9:00 AM
Keywords
Life Science
Abstract
How cells perceive and respond to hormones is largely unknown, although their role in development is crucial. When initial cells of the moss, Physcomitrella patens, are exposed to the plant hormone cytokinin, normal tip growth transitions into the development of a leafy gametophyte. In order to study this signaling process, a mutant was identified which produces initial cells unable to respond to cytokinin. These initial cells appear to grow much faster than those of the wild type, which potentially removes the window of competency for response to the hormone. TAIL PCR was used to determine the sequence upstream of the insertion site and identify the locus. The locus does not appear to contain coding sequence, but does include retrotransposon sequence and 10bp tandem repeats, which precludes reconstruction of the mutant. Instead, formation of initial cells will be monitored to characterize the mutant in an effort to understand what confers competency for the cytokinin response.
Initial Cell Size Affects the Hormone Response in Physcomitrella patens
Henry Hall Atrium 91
How cells perceive and respond to hormones is largely unknown, although their role in development is crucial. When initial cells of the moss, Physcomitrella patens, are exposed to the plant hormone cytokinin, normal tip growth transitions into the development of a leafy gametophyte. In order to study this signaling process, a mutant was identified which produces initial cells unable to respond to cytokinin. These initial cells appear to grow much faster than those of the wild type, which potentially removes the window of competency for response to the hormone. TAIL PCR was used to determine the sequence upstream of the insertion site and identify the locus. The locus does not appear to contain coding sequence, but does include retrotransposon sequence and 10bp tandem repeats, which precludes reconstruction of the mutant. Instead, formation of initial cells will be monitored to characterize the mutant in an effort to understand what confers competency for the cytokinin response.