Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Digital Commons Network

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Cell and Developmental Biology

PDF

Colby College

AFN1

Publication Year

Articles 1 - 2 of 2

Full-Text Articles in Entire DC Network

Characterization Of Afn1, A Gene Associated With Cereal Grain Germination, Tenzin Tsewang, Russell Johnson Jan 2007

Characterization Of Afn1, A Gene Associated With Cereal Grain Germination, Tenzin Tsewang, Russell Johnson

Undergraduate Research Symposium (UGRS)

The AFN1 gene is transiently expressed in germinating oat grains. As AFN1 is not expressed in dormant oat grains during imbibition, we hypothesize that AFN1 may be involved in stimulating the germination process. Sequence analysis of an AFN1 cDNA clone indicates that the AFN1 polypeptide is similar to a previously identified abscisic acid (ABA) glucosyl transferase. This suggests that AFN1 may be acting to glucosylate ABA, thereby inactivating it. As the hormone ABA is known to inhibit germination, ABA glucosylation/inactivation could lead to germination in grains expressing AFN1. To test this hypothesis, we have constructed an expression plasmid that encodes …


Overexpression And Purification Of The Oat (Avena Fatua) Protein Afn1 And Construction Of A Pmal/Afn1 Expression Plasmid, Tenzin D. Tsewang Jan 2006

Overexpression And Purification Of The Oat (Avena Fatua) Protein Afn1 And Construction Of A Pmal/Afn1 Expression Plasmid, Tenzin D. Tsewang

Undergraduate Research Symposium (UGRS)

Abscisic acid (ABA) is an important phytohormone with regulatory roles in many physiological processes. ABA expression is induced by environmental stresses such as drought and it is known to be an inhibitor of seed germination. A wild oat (Avena fatua) called AFN1 has been hypothesized to initiate the early stages of germination as its mRNA accumulates in nondormant seed embryos during imbibition. The polypeptide sequence of AFN1 suggests that it is an ABA glucosyl transferase. Glucosylation by AFN1 and thereby inactivation of ABA could lead to seed germination. In order to understand the role of AFN1 in germination, an ample …