CAREER: Developmental Role of the MADS-Domain Protein AGL15 During Embryogenesis

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Perry9984274Early embryo development in higher plants has been difficult to study because the cells involved are small, few in number, and, in zygotic embryogenesis, embedded in several layers of maternal tissues. Consequently, little is known at a molecular level about this stage of development. The long-term goal of Dr. Perry's research program is to contribute to an understanding of regulatory networks active during embryo development. As an initial step towards this goal, the P.I. proposes to further investigate the role that the embryo-expressed MADS-domain protein, AGL15 (for AGAMOUS-Like 15) plays during this phase of development. MADS-domain proteins are regulatory factors that are involved in critical developmental decisions in fungi, animals and plants. Evidence to date is consistent with a role for AGL15 as a DNA-binding regulatory factor involved in global aspects of embryo development. To understand AGL15's role in development, genes regulated by AGL15 must be identified. Dr. Perry's laboratory will use a chromatin immunoprecipitation approach to obtain DNA sequences that directly bind AGL15 in vivo. Because AGL15 is divergent from the rest of the MADS-box family, both in sequence and in expression pattern, the optimal DNA sequence that AGL15 recognizes will be determined using a target detection assay. Further experiments will test whether AGL15 is necessary for development in an embryonic mode are also proposed. The experiments will contribute to an understanding of molecular programs active during embryo and seed development, and this type of information will be essential for developing molecular strategies to increase agricultural productivity.Dr. Perry will be involved in developing and teaching a new module on Plant Development and Anatomy in PLS 622, Physiology of Plants I, a required core course for graduate students in the Plant Physiology, Biochemistry, and Molecular Biology Program. In addition, Dr. Perry will participate in PLS 657, Seed Biology, where she will contribute to a discussion of molecular and genetic approaches to understanding processes during seed development. The P.I. will also serve as a mentor to graduate and undergraduate students and to postdoctoral researchers who will be involved in the research component of this proposal