Date of Defense

Spring 4-5-2010

Department

Biological Sciences

First Advisor

Wendy Ransom-Hodgkins

Keywords

actin microfilaments, plasma membrane, confocial microscopy, green fluorescent protein, F-actin

Abstract

In this study, we investigate how eEF1A interacts with actin in living plant roots where eEF1A expression has been altered. No previous studies have attempted to visualize directly the interaction between actin and eEF1A in roots. We experimented on the actin filaments in mutant roots by way of two methods: (1) using actin tagged green fluorescent protein and (2) using fluorescent marker for actin through the process of immunolabeling of the cytoskeleton. We found that expression of the eEF1A gene family is important for proper root growth of Arabidopsis thaliana plants. Disruption of these genes affects root length negatively during early stages of development. We concluded that actin filament strands are observed in ABD GFP transgenic plants. We also found with immunofluorescence that most of the mutant roots had visible actin filaments present within the cytoplasm, and cell shapes are observable due to cell outlines formed by the plasma membrane.

Access Setting

Honors Thesis-Campus Only

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