Transcription Repression Mechanism in Flower Development

University Of Maryland, College Park, College Park MD

Investigators

Abstract

The long-term goal of the proposed research is to uncover fundamental principles governing plant and animal development. The superb molecular genetic and genomic tools available in the flowering plant Arabidopsis thaliana combined with two previously well characterized flower development genes LEUNIG and SEUSS, provide a unprecedented opportunity to investigate transcription repression mechanisms in higher plant development. The proposed experiments will elucidate how the Arabidopsis LEUNIG and SEUSS genes repress their target gene expression, will determine what the identities of their target genes and pathways are, and will identify other factors that aid LEUNIG and SEUSS in selecting their specific targets. A combination of molecular, genetic and biochemical approaches will be used to address these questions. As LEUNIG/SEUSS is the first transcription co-repressor complex discovered in higher plants, the proposed work on this co-repressor complex will help pioneer the analyses of transcriptional networks in higher plants. Due to the conservation of genetic mechanisms between Arabidopsis and other flowering plants, the proposed work will advance research and application in important crop plants. DNA and research materials developed for transcription repression assays will be freely distributed to the research community. The research will involve undergraduate students particularly minority undergraduate students as well as graduate students and postdoctoral fellows.