Identifying components of the 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) signaling pathway in Arabidopsis thaliana

Public Deposited
Analytics

Downloadable Content

Download PDF
Request Version for Screen Reader
Last Modified
  • May 14, 2019
Creator
  • Allen, Hope
    • College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Biology
Abstract
  • 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) is the precursor of ethylene, a critical hormone to many aspects of plant growth, development, and responses to stress. Several studies indicate that ACC may act outside of the ethylene biosynthesis pathway in a non-canonical way as a signaling molecule. Loss-of-function mutations in the EIN2 gene confer insensitivity to ethylene. The ein2-5 mutant is insensitive to ethylene in a root elongation assay, but displays nearly comparable levels of sensitivity to ACC as wild-type seedlings using a similar assay. This, along with other studies, suggests that ACC may act as a signaling molecule to regulate plant development. In order to elucidate the elements involved in ACC signaling pathway, a forward genetic screen was conducted to identify mutants that displayed insensitivity to ACC using an ein2 mutant background. In order to identify mutants, the EMS-mutagenized ein2-5 seedlings were grown on media containing high concentrations of ACC. Seedlings that displayed the longest roots were selected and propagated into the next generation for further testing. From this genetic screen, 26 promising candidate mutants were selected that re-tested as ACC-insensitive, and 25 were subjected to whole-genome sequencing in order to determine causal single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Additional morphological and physiological analyses were performed on the selected mutants in parallel to mapping by sequencing. Identification of genes involved in the response to ACC should help elucidate the ACC signaling pathway in plants as well as the role that ACC plays in various aspects of plant development, including cell wall synthesis.
Date of publication
Keyword
DOI
Resource type
Advisor
  • Kieber, Joseph
Degree
  • Bachelor of Science
Academic concentration
  • Biology
Honors level
  • Honors
Degree granting institution
  • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Graduation year
  • 2019
Language
  • English
Date uploaded
  • April 12, 2019

Relations

Parents:

This work has no parents.

Items

Thumbnail Title Date Uploaded Visibility Actions
file details Hope Allen Honors Thesis_2019.pdf April 12, 2019 Public Download