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ARS Home » Plains Area » Lubbock, Texas » Cropping Systems Research Laboratory » Plant Stress and Germplasm Development Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #111032
Title: CDNA MICROARRAY ANALYSIS IN ARABIDOPSIS: GENE EXPRESSION CORRELATED WITH THE ACQUISITION OF DESICCATION-TOLERANCE IN DEVELOPING SEEDS

Author
item WOOD, A - SOUTHERN ILLINOIS UNIV
item LIGHTFOOT, D - SOUTHERN ILLINOIS UNIV
item Oliver, Melvin

Submitted to: American Society of Plant Physiologists Meeting
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/1/2000
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Seeds acquire the ability to survive desiccation and become desiccation- tolerant during development. Immature Arabidopsis thaliana seeds (0- 10 DAP) are unable to survive drying and fail to germinate. By 14 DAP, 90% of developing seeds are desiccation-tolerant. The AFGC microarray facility (Michigan State Univ.) will analyze 'two chips' using cDNA probe we have generated using mRNA extracted from wild type A. thaliana cv Columbia seed at 10- and 14-DAP. Alterations in gene expression encompassing this period must generate the ability to survive desiccation. The analysis will shed light upon the nature of gene expression waves during the desiccation of maturing seeds and allow the classification of genes within Arabidopsis relative to the acquisition of desiccation- tolerance and DAP. Plants were grown to maturity under conditions of light, temperature and humidity that promote normal development (22C, 20 hr photoperiod). Synchronously growing plants were selected for tissue collection. Sufficient whole maturing seed to purify one microgram of mRNA at 10- and 14-DAP were collected. Aliquots of seed were reserved for probe duplication, quantitative PCR confirmation of expression profiles and proteomics (2D gels, enzyme assay, Western hybridization). A subset of plants was subjected to desiccation at 10- and 14-DAP and the number of viable seed determined.