The role of transcription factors in heterosis for superior growth and biomass production in Arabidopsis thaliana

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The aim of this project is to determine the role that transcription factor (TF) genes play in heterosis for superior early growth in Arabidopsis thaliana. Two Arabidopsis accessions will be used, C24 and Co1, which produce F1 hybrids that exhibit superior growth and biomass production. Differences in growth rates are manifest within the first few days after germination. TF genes that show differential expression in the F1 compared to the parents during seed development or during germination and early growth will be identified by screening all (1500+) TF genes using real-time RT-PCR. After confirming differential expression of TF genes in test-cross progeny of recombinant inbred lines (RILs) and C24 or Co1 that recapitulate heterosis for superior growth, individual TF genes will be subjected to reverse-genetics experiments designed to determine their role in heterosis. Knowledge of the full-genome-sequence of Arabidopsis will also be used to determine whether any of the differentially expressed TF genes coincide with the quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for superior growth, which will be mapped in complementary projects proposed by Altmann and Meyer, and by Melchinger.