A basic understanding of the molecular events occurring during zygotic embryogenesis is required to fully understand how and why only a very small percentage of somatic embryos develop past the late embryogeny phase of embryogenesis. In this work, we have identified genes that have been demonstrated to be required for late embryonic development in the model plant system Arabidopsis thaliana. These genes were subsequently isolated and cloned from Loblolly pine embryos. These isolated clones were sequenced and analyzed to reveal significant homology to the known Arabidopsis ABA responsive genes ABI3, ABI4, and ABI5. Expression analyses of all three genes were completed, and compared to reported data of ABA accumulation, as well as, expression of other ABA responsive genes during the same stages of embryogenesis. Six putative root development genes were isolated and cloned from Loblolly pine embryos. These isolated clones were sequenced and analyzed to reveal significant homology to the known Arabidopsis root development genes WOODENLEG, SHORT ROOT, SCARECROW, HOBBIT, BODENLOS, and MONOPTEROS. Full-length cDNAs were isolated and cloned for WOODENLEG, SHORT ROOT, SCARECROW and BODENLOS. Expression analyses of all six genes were completed throughout mid to late embryogenesis in Loblolly pine.

Nous avons étudié l'absorption et l'assimilation de l'urée chez les plantes. Trois espèces végétales et deux systèmes de culture ont été utilisés. Deux céréales de grandes cultures, maïs et blé, ont été cultivées en hydroponie et sur sol en conditions proches du champ. Nous avons affiné nos recherches sur la plante modèle Arabidopsis en culture hydroponique. Deux approches ont été utilisées. Nous avons d'abord caractérisé

Thèse doctorat : Sciences du Vivant. Aspects Moléculaires et Cellulaires de la Biologie : Strasbourg 1 : 2006. / Thèse soutenue sur un ensemble de travaux. Titre provenant de l'écran-titre. Bibliogr. 20 p.

Thèse doctorat : Sciences du Vivant. Aspects Moléculaires et Cellulaires de la Biologie : Strasbourg 1 : 2006. Thèse doctorat : Sciences du Vivant. Aspects Moléculaires et Cellulaires de la Biologie : Université de Fudan - Shanghai - Chine : 2006. / Thèse soutenue sur un ensemble de travaux. Titre provenant de l'écran-titre. Bibliogr. 10 p.

Reproduction de : Thèse de doctorat : Sciences de la vie et de la santé : Lille 1 : 2004. / N° d'ordre (Lille 1) : 3505. Résumé en français et en anglais. Articles en anglais non reproduits dans la version électronique. Titre provenant de la page de titre du document numérisé. Bibliogr. f. 156-182.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Chicago, Dept. of Molecular Genetics and Cell Biology, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the Internet.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Umeå : Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet, 2009. / Härtill 4 uppsatser.

The environment can exert strong selective pressures on an organism. When selective pressures on traits differ between environments local adaptation may occur. If there is gene flow between the environments, local adaptation may be slowed or prevented. In plants, particularly weedy ephemerals, germination is a life-history trait that can be a strong determinant on fitness. In this dissertation, I explore the germination traits of two weedy Brassicaceae species, Arabidopsis thaliana and Sinapis arvensis, having populations in different habitats to determine whether germination traits within and between populations vary based on environmental conditions and to assess the extent of local adaptation. In Chapter 1, I assessed which genomic regions of A. thaliana were associated with differences in germination traits due to genotype-by-environment interactions. I performed a genome-wide association study using 100 natural accessions of A. thaliana under four light and nutrient combinations. I found 20 single nucleotide polymorphisms significantly associated with different environments, but none associated specifically with genotype-by-environment interactions. In Chapter 2, I assessed germination traits of S. arvensis collected from agricultural and non-agricultural habitats in the Bitterroot Valley of Montana. I discovered that the agricultural collection studied exhibited significantly different germination timing and amounts than the non-agricultural collections, which were statistically indistinguishable from each other. I also found evidence of a strong maternal effect on germination traits. In Chapter 3, I tested whether patterns of genetic variation between agricultural and non-agricultural collections of S. arvensis supported local adaptation to the two habitats even in the face of gene flow. While I expected to see some genetic differentiation between habitats, as seen in Chapter 2, no genetic differentiation was detected and markers putatively under selection were not associated with a particular habitat. I discuss why this might have occurred even though I have evidence for genetically-based phenotypic differentiation between agricultural and non-agricultural populations of S. arvensis. / text

published_or_final_version / Biological Sciences / Master / Master of Philosophy

Natural variation in the relative proportions of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids in seed oils of plants is enormous when considered across a broad taxonomic range of oil seeds. It has been shown that this variation follows a latitudinal cline where the proportions of unsaturated fatty acids increases with increasing latitude as the unsaturated fatty acids in seeds provide energy at a faster rate to germinating seeds at higher latitudes. This variation which follows a latitudinal cline suggests that there may be an adaptive role for this variation. We tested this hypothesis in Arabidopsis thaliana which followed the same trend seen in Helianthus and other angiosperms. In order to understand the underlying genetics of the regulation of the relative proportions of fatty acids and their role in plant evolution, we mapped quantitative trait loci (QTLs) and candidate genes. Here we identified 67 major QTLs responsible for fatty acid synthesis in A. thaliana in Ler-0 x Sha, Ler-0 x Col-4, Ler-2 x Cvi and Ler-0 x No-0 RIL populations. Eight candidate genes were identified based on what is known about seed oil biosynthesis in A. thaliana. Six of the candidate genes collocated to most of the major QTLs. In order to demonstrate that a particular allelic variant is indeed causally related to the phenotype, we investigated DNA polymorphisms in the parental and the RIL line alleles of the collocating candidate genes. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were identified in the collocating candidate genes to study the correlation between the sequence variants and the particular phenotype. We identified 232 SNPs with 77 in the putative regulatory regions upstream of the 5’UTR, 61 in the introns, 18 in the 5’UTR regions, 2 in the 3’UTR regions, and 45 occurring in the exons with 10 non-synonymous substitutions affecting the amino acid residues. We also detected 44 insertions/deletions in the coding, non-coding, 5’UTR, 3’UTR and the regulatory regions. Sequence variation in the fatty acid genes due to SNPs and insertions/deletions should be valuable in tests of association to investigate how the relative proportions of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids are regulated in wild plants and what role they have played in plant evolution and also in breeding oil seed crops that are healthier or have two types of fatty acids in proportions appropriate for different uses. / text