NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology FY 2015

Gault Christine M, Ithaca NY

Investigators

Abstract

This action funds an NSF National Plant Genome Initiative Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology for FY 2015. The fellowship supports a research and training plan in a host laboratory for the Fellow who also presents a plan to broaden participation in biology. The title of the research and training plan for this fellowship to Christine Gault is "Identifying freezing tolerance genes in the perennial grass genus Tripsacum as a step towards developing freezing-tolerant maize." The host institutions for the fellowship are Cornell University and Michigan State University, and the sponsoring scientists are Dr. Edward Buckler and Dr. Michael Thomashow. The fellowship will enable Christine Gault to gain experience in quantitative genetics and plant physiology. To broaden scientific participation in students of all ages, Christine will mentor undergraduate students in hypothesis-based research projects. She will also develop educational tools in the form of data nuggets, a standardized format that allows K-12 and undergraduate students to analyze real data in the classroom. Maize (corn) is the most widely planted, economically important grain crop in the United States. Cold temperatures limit its growing season length because maize cannot survive prolonged freezing temperatures. A freezing-tolerant maize line would produce more grain due to an extended growing season while providing longer periods of soil cover to reduce water run-off and soil erosion. However, it is unknown which genes or genic regions could be introduced into maize to make it cold tolerant. The goal of this project is to identify such genes in a freeze-tolerant species that is closely related to maize. The perennial grass genus Tripsacum is very closely related to maize, and some members can survive freezing stress. This research will identify genes that confer freezing tolerance in Tripsacum grasses. First, comparative genomic and transcriptomic analyses will reveal how cold-related gene families have changed since maize and Tripsacum diverged. Second, cold-induced gene expression and phytohormonal changes will be measured in freezing-tolerant and freezing-sensitive Tripsacum plants. Finally, a quantitative trait locus mapping approach will identify freezing tolerance genes in a diverse population. Understanding the genetic basis for freezing tolerance in Tripsacum will enable the development of freezing tolerant maize lines. RNA-seq data will be deposited in the NCBI sequence read archive (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sra).