Notice Board

The Alberta RNA Research and Training Institute (ARRTI) presents the ARRTI Speaker Series, a monthly lecture series open to the public and established to bring leading researchers to the University of Lethbridge for lectures on a broad range of topics relating to RNA research.

 May 19th, 2015
The Alberta RNA Research and Training Institute Presents:Dr. Elizabeth Schultz

Department of Biological Sciences

University of Lethbridge

"Vein pursuits: towards understanding the formation of plant vascular tissue."

An ARRTI Speaker Series Lecture

Tuesday, May 19th, 2015

1:30pm - 2:30pm

B660 (University Hall)

All are welcome!

Abstract:

Plant vascular tissue performs two functions critical to plant survival: transport and support.  The xylem and phloem tissue provides efficient transport routes for water, minerals, photosynthates and signaling compounds. The vascular cells’ thickened walls provide structural support to the whole plant.  Thus, understanding how vascular tissue is formed and patterned is critical to understanding plant water use, photosynthetic efficiency and architecture.  Like many key developmental processes in plants, vascular cell fate is induced by the plant hormone auxin.  Cells that will become veins transport auxin better than their neighbours, forming an auxin canal.  Because of its key developmental role, the mechanism by which auxin is directed through certain cells is an area of active research.  Using the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, our research group has discovered a number of novel genes that affect auxin levels in developing vascular tissue.  One group, the FORKED gene family, is unique to plants but is found in multiple copies in all vascular plants.  A second gene, UNHINGED, encodes a protein whose ortholog in yeast and animals are important for vacuole trafficking.   I will describe our current understanding of how these gene products act within cells to affect auxin levels through developing tissue.