SSRP Abstract

Board 3: Growth Regulator Gene Family in Arabidopsis thaliana

Student Scientists: Josh Cabacungan ’24 and Lindsey Ashcraft ’24
Research Mentor: Chris Wolverton (OWU Department of Biological Sciences)

In previous studies in Dr. Wolverton’s lab, 124 genes were identified as potentially being involved in plant gravity response in Arabidopsis thaliana. Many of the genes identified are not related and code for a wide variety of functions within plants. One of these genes, UMAMIT 17, was identified to be a regulator of gravity. This gene is believed to also be a growth regulator within plants; this gene, along with the rest of the family of genes is further being studied to determine their impact on the regulation of growth in A. thaliana.

The UMAMIT (usually multiple acids move in and out of transporters) gene family contains many genes that also are related to transmembrane transporter activity, which can regulate plant growth. In previous gravitropism research in Dr. Wolverton’s lab, one of these UMAMIT genes in Arabidopsis thaliana, AT4G08300 (UMAMIT 17), was identified as one of 124 genes that may be involved in the gravity response pathway. Previous experiments of mutant seedlings lacking gene AT4G08300 included rotating the 4 day old seedlings 90 degrees then allowing them to grow for 200 minutes and taking pictures every 10 minutes. These mutants were proven to have a faster response to gravity than wild-type plants. After analysis of these initial experiments, the mutant also was determined to grow faster than the wild-type plants, though confounding factors prevented absolute measurements. To get more accurate measurements than the original experiments, experiments were conducted again using known distances to more accurately measure the plants. The rotation experiments were conducted again, as well as experiments letting plants grow vertically to see if the observed growth difference was due to rotation. Multiple mutants lacking genes that are the most phylogenetically related to AT4G0830 were also ordered to better understand the UMAMIT family.