Lillian Gregory
Pronouns: She/her
Research Mentor(s): Erik Nielsen
Research Mentor School/College/Department: Molecular Cellular Developmental Biology / LSA
Program:
Authors: Lillian Gregory, Tamar Landesman, Xhulja Biraku, Mihaela Banu, Erik Nielsen
Session: Session 6: 3:40 pm – 4:30 pm
Poster: 45
Abstract
Roles of Receptor-like Kinases in Cello-oligomer Perception in Arabidopsis Lillian Gregory(1), Tamar Landesman(1), Xhulja Biraku(2), Mihaela Banu(2), and Erik Nielsen(1) (1) Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor (2) Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor Cellulose Nano-fibers (CNF) are artificial nanomaterials derived from the plant-derived cellulose. These beta-1,4-linked glucose polymers hydrogen bond into paracrystalline cellulose microfibrils that determine many of the biophysical properties of plant cell walls. Located within the cell wall, cellulose microfibrils are responsible for providing a structural backbone around which other cell wall polysaccharides and cell wall proteins organize. These cellulose microfibrils also provide the primary load-bearing components which strengthens these plant cell wall structures. This study is focused on understanding what effects CNF nanomaterials exert on plant growth and physiology using Arabidopsis thaliana as a model organism. In previous experiments it was observed that cut flax stem sections exposed to CNF led to increased formation of adventitious roots and flax fibers with enhanced biophysical characteristics in comparison to untreated flax stem sections. Here we have examined the effects of CNF on Arabidopsis plants grown in sterile tissue culture conditions, and compare how these seedlings respond to CNF when presented using different methods. Additionally, recent reports have identified a family of plant receptor-like kinases that are able to directly bind to cellulo-oligosaccharides that are formed by enzymatic cleavage of cellulosic beta-1,4-glucan. When these cellulo-oligosaccharide receptor kinases (CORKs) interact with cellulose-derived oligosaccharides they initiate a number of distinct plant signaling pathways. To determine if any of these CORK receptor kinases play roles in plant-CNF interactions, we have characterized a series of T-DNA insertional mutants disrupted in one or more of these CORK genes. Results describing the results of these investigations will be presented.
