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Research Summary:
Plant growth and development with an emphasis on the use of molecular and genetic tools to study plant responses to environmental stimuli.
Gravity is a constant stimulus governing the orientation of plant growth. In response to changes in the gravity vector, plant stems and
roots bend by differential growth. The gravitropic response can be separated into three steps: stimulus perception, signal transduction and
asymmetric growth of the responding tissue. We took advantage of a cold effect on the gravity response pathway to select for mutants of
Arabidopsis with altered signal transduction. We have identified several gps (gravity persistent signal) mutants at three independent loci
(GPS1, GPS2, and GPS3). Physiological and molecular characterization of these mutants is ongoing.
Wood is the most important renewable natural resource. Lignin affects the chemical and mechanical properties of many plant products and
is one of the major determinants of the commercial quality of wood. However, our knowledge of major aspects of lignin biosynthesis is
incomplete. A detailed knowledge of the developmental expression of the genes encoding these enzymes is needed to understand their
physiological roles and to be able to manipulate lignin in a tissue or cell type specific manner. Because Arabidopsis thaliana is a more
amenable system for analysis of the genes involved in wood formation, we are developing Arabidopsis as a model system to study
lignification and wood production.
Selected References:
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Wyatt, S. E., Rashotte, A., Muday, G. K. and Robertson, D. (2000) Mutations in the GPS loci in Arabidopsis disrupt the perception and/or
signal transduction of gravitropic stimuli. (in prep)
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Wyatt, S. E., Perrson, S., Love, J., Thompson, W., Robertson, D., and Boss, W.F. (2000) Altered expression of calreticulin alters
intracellular calcium storage and release in tobacco suspension culture cells. Plant Physiology (in review)
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Wyatt, S. E., Tsou, P.-L., and Robertson, D. (2000) Expression of the high capacity calcium-binding domain of calreticulin increases
bioavailable calcium stores. Transgenic Research (in press)
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Collings, D.A., Carter, C.E., Rink, J.C., Scott, A.C., Wyatt, S.E. and Allen, N.S. (2000) Plant nucleii contain extensive cytoplasmic grooves
and invaginations. Plant Cell (in press)
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Scott, A. Wyatt, S.E., Tsou, P.-L., Robertson, D. and Allen, N.S. (1999) A model system for plant cell biology: GFP imaging in living onion
epidermal cells. BioTechniques. 26, 1127-1132 (cover).
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Collings, D.A., Winter, H., Wyatt, S.E. and Allen, N.S. (1998) Growth dynamics and cytoskeleton organization during stem maturation and
gravity-induced stem bending in Zea mays. Planta 207, 246-258.
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