PhD Transfer Exam reminder – Stuart Macgregor

PhD Transfer Exam

Tuesday, April 17, 2018 at 1:30 pm – Earth Science Building, Room 3087

Stuart Macgregor (D. Goring lab)

“Investigating the role of secretion in the Arabidopsis thaliana compatible pollen response pathway”

Abstract

The acceptance of compatible pollen in the Brassicaceae is tightly regulated through interactions between the pollen and the pistil. Secretion in the stigmatic papillae is proposed to be key to this interaction to provide resources to the pollen for hydration and germination. The objective of this proposed research is to investigate components of the Arabidopsis thaliana secretory pathway machinery for their requirement in compatible pollen acceptance. Fluorescently-tagged markers that identify different compartments in the endomembrane system will be examined to gain a fuller understanding of the secretory activity that occurs following compatible pollinations. This includes tracking of secretory markers from the initiation of secretion at the endoplasmic reticulum to the final site of vesicle release at the papillar plasma membrane under the pollen contact site. The requirement of SNARE complex subunits, which are implicated in vesicle fusion and cargo release, will also be investigated through loss-of-function mutants. This will be accomplished by using a combination of SNARE T-DNA insertion mutants and generating CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing mutants when needed. This proposed research will provide a better understanding of the stigmatic papilla’s secretory system, and how this system is employed in the acceptance of compatible pollen.