Investigating the Effect of Warm Night on Stem Secondary Cell Wall Synthesis in the Model Grass Brachypodium distachyon

Presenter

Serene Omran

Campus

UMass Amherst

Sponsor

Samuel P. Hazen, Department of Biology, UMass Amherst

Schedule

Session 1, 10:30 AM - 11:15 AM [Schedule by Time][Poster Grid for Time/Location]

Location

Poster Board A71, Campus Center Auditorium, Row 4 (A61-A80) [Poster Location Map]

Abstract

The plant secondary cell wall provides the rigidity necessary for vertical growth, protection from biotic and abiotic challenges, as well as structure and hydrophobicity to facilitate water transport. The secondary wall is also the largest reservoir of atmospheric carbon. We demonstrated that the rate of grass elongation is regulated by temperature with warmer temperatures stimulating growth. If secondary wall synthesis is similarly temperature-driven is unknown. Climate change has resulted in an increase in global temperatures, which we expect will alter plant growth and carbon sequestration. Using the grass model system Brachypodium distachyon, we are investigating the effect of temperature on growth and the synthesis of secondary cell walls. Cellulose, one of the main structural components of the plant secondary cell wall, provides rigidity and strength. We monitored growth using time-lapse imaging of plants expressing a bioluminescent gene expression reporter. The cis-regulatory region of the CELLULOSE SYNTHASE A8 gene fused to the firefly Luciferase gene (CESA8::LUC). When grown in a thermocycle, with warm days and cool nights, CESA8::LUC exhibited a daily rhythm positively correlated to temperature. To test if an increase in nighttime temperature will increase secondary wall thickness, B. distachyon plants were grown in normal and warm-night conditions. The transverse stem sections of those plants were stained for secondary wall lignin using Basic Fuchsin and visualized using fluorescence microscopy. I then measured wall thickness and fluorescence intensity. This study aims to provide insight into how climate change temperatures may affect carbon sequestration and cereal crop physiology.

Keywords

Plant secondary cell wall, Growth regulation, Temperature sensitivity, Cereal crop physiology, Fluorescence microscopy

Research Area

Biological Organisms

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