SGER: Characterization of an Arabidopsis thaliana UV-B photoreceptor candidate gene

University Of North Carolina At Wilmington, Wilmington NC

Investigators

Abstract

Identification of the gene for a UV-B photoreceptor is necessary for progress in understanding UV-B responses in plants and the effects of global stratospheric ozone depletion. Bioinformatic and genetic approaches were used to identify a candidate Arabidopsis thaliana UV-B photoreceptor. Additional genetic analysis, photomorphogenic and gene expression UV-B response measurements, and protein conformation change assays will be performed to test the hypothesis that the candidate gene indeed encodes the photoreceptor protein. The broader impacts of this project include education and international collaboration components. The education impacts include support of a Masters student who belongs to an underrepresented minority. One morphological response to UV-B, cotyledon opening, will be measured by international collaborators at the IVEFAUniversity of Buenos Aires, Argentina.