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Identification and Characterization of a Mutation Causing Stunted Growth in Arabidopsis that is Linked to Phosphate Perception

Plant yield is an agronomic trait dependent on the transport of photosynthate from mature source leaves to sink tissues. Manipulating phloem transport may lead to increased yield, however in a previous study, Arabidopsis thaliana overexpressing sucrose transporter AtSUC2 in the phloem resulted in stunted growth and an apparent P-deficiency. In the course of further characterizing the phenotype and identifying the causative mutation, this research included 1) reverse genetics to test genes hypothesized to modulate carbon-phosphate interactions; 2) whole genome sequencing to identify all T-DNA insertions in plants displaying the phenotype; 3) genetic crosses and segregation analysis to isolate the causative mutation; and 4) transcriptomics to capture gene-expression profiles in plants displaying the phenotype. These phenotypes were traced to a T-DNA insertion located on chromosome 4. Transcriptomics by RNA-Seq and data analysis through bioinformatics pipelines suggest disruptions in metabolic and transport pathways that include phosphate, but do not support a direct role of well-established phosphate acquisition mechanisms. Gene At1G78690 is immediately downstream of the T-DNA insertion site and shows modestly increased expression relative to wild type plants. At1G78690 encodes O-acyl transferase, which is involved in processing N-acylphosphotidyl ethanolamine (NAPE) to N-acyl ethanolamine (NAE). Exogenous NAE application causes stunted growth in specific conditions. From the experiments described herein, At1G78690 emerges as the strongest candidate for causing the observed phenotypes.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:unt.edu/info:ark/67531/metadc1752397
Date12 1900
CreatorsShaikh, Mearaj Ahmed A J
ContributorsAyre, Brian G., Dixon, Richard, Shah, Jyoti, Dickstein, Rebecca, Azad, Rajeev
PublisherUniversity of North Texas
Source SetsUniversity of North Texas
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeThesis or Dissertation
Formatxiii, 123 pages, Text
RightsPublic, Shaikh, Mearaj Ahmed A J, Copyright, Copyright is held by the author, unless otherwise noted. All rights Reserved.

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