Research Starter Grant

University Of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln NE

Investigators

Abstract

Genetically-determined, intentional elimination of specific cells, programmed cell death (PCD), is indispensable for the growth, development and survival of multicellular organisms. In plants, PCD is an integral part of many aspects of development and responses to infectious agents/pathogens. Despite the essential nature of PCD, there are large gaps in the knowledge of the mechanistic details and molecular components controlling PCD in both plants and animals. A model system to study plant PCD, using Arabidopsis thaliana and a purified fungal toxin, fumonisin B1, was developed during the Principal Investigator's tenure as an NSF postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Fred Ausubel's laboratory (Massachusetts General Hospital). This Research Starter Award supports her independent career as a faculty member at the University of Nebraska. Dr. Stone will continue to pursue a classical genetics approach of identifying Arabidopsis thaliana mutants defective in fumonisin B1-induced PCD. Identification of the genes responsible for this mutant phenotype will aid in unraveling the molecular mechanisms regulating PCD in plants. Our results are likely to advance our basic understanding of the functions and regulatory mechanisms of PCD in plant growth, development, and response to pathogens.