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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Exploring The Function Of Gt2 In Physcomitrella Patens, Tess Scavuzzo-Duggan May 2012

Exploring The Function Of Gt2 In Physcomitrella Patens, Tess Scavuzzo-Duggan

Senior Honors Projects

Plant cell walls are composed of a variety of carbohydrates, among them cellulose, pectin and hemicellulose. Cellulose is deposited in the cell wall as microfibrils via cellulose synthesis complexes (CSCs). These complexes contain the cellulose synthase proteins (CESAs) and come in two different morphological forms: rosettes and linear complexes. Rosette shaped cellulose synthesis complexes occur in land plants, whilst linear complexes are commonly found in red algae. However, some land plants, notably bryophytes (mosses) and seedless vascular plants, contain genes that encode both CESAs of the type that form rosette CSCs and also genes similar to those found in red …


Brown Midrib2 (Bmr2) Encodes The Major 4-Coumarate: Coenzyme A Ligase Involved In Lignin Biosynthesis In Sorghum (Sorghum Bicolor (L.) Moench), Ana Saballos, Scott Sattler, Emiliano Sanchez, Timothy P. Foster, Zhanguo Xin, Chulhee Kang, Jeffrey F. Pedersen, Wilfred Vermerris Jan 2012

Brown Midrib2 (Bmr2) Encodes The Major 4-Coumarate: Coenzyme A Ligase Involved In Lignin Biosynthesis In Sorghum (Sorghum Bicolor (L.) Moench), Ana Saballos, Scott Sattler, Emiliano Sanchez, Timothy P. Foster, Zhanguo Xin, Chulhee Kang, Jeffrey F. Pedersen, Wilfred Vermerris

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Successful modification of plant cell-wall composition without compromising plant integrity is dependent on being able to modify the expression of specific genes, but this can be very challenging when the target genes are members of multigene families. 4-coumarate:CoA ligase (4CL) catalyzes the formation of 4-coumaroyl CoA, a precursor of both flavonoids and monolignols, and is an attractive target for transgenic down-regulation aimed at improving agro-industrial properties. Inconsistent phenotypes of transgenic plants have been attributed to variable levels of down-regulation of multiple 4CL genes. Phylogenetic analysis of the sorghum genome revealed 24 4CL(-like) proteins, five of which cluster with bona fide …