Plant Biology Commons^™

Cellular And Molecular Targets Of Menthol Actions, Murat Oz, Eslam El Nebrisi, Keun-Hang Susan Yang, Frank Christopher Howarth, Lina T. Al Kury

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

Menthol belongs to monoterpene class of a structurally diverse group of phytochemicals found in plant-derived essential oils. Menthol is widely used in pharmaceuticals, confectionary, oral hygiene products, pesticides, cosmetics, and as a flavoring agent. In addition, menthol is known to have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and analgesic effects. Recently, there has been renewed awareness in comprehending the biological and pharmacological effects of menthol. TRP channels have been demonstrated to mediate the cooling actions ofmenthol. There has been new evidence demonstrating thatmenthol can significantly influence the functional characteristics of a number of different kinds of ligand and voltage-gated ion channels, indicating that at …

Life Behind The Wall: Sensing Mechanical Cues In Plants, Olivier Hamant, Elizabeth S. Haswell

Biology Faculty Research

There is increasing evidence that all cells sense mechanical forces in order to perform their functions. In animals, mechanotransduction has been studied during the establishment of cell polarity, fate, and division in single cells, and increasingly is studied in the context of a multicellular tissue. What about plant systems? Our goal in this review is to summarize what is known about the perception of mechanical cues in plants, and to provide a brief comparison with animals.

Effect Assessment Of Tio2 Nanoparticles Exposure On Medicago By Monitoring Morphophysiology, Charles Towey

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

In recent years titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO₂NPs) have been ingredients in everything from paints to cosmetics, and even in some kinds of food. This growth in use has resulted in a substantial increase in the amount of titanium released into the environment, which could have detrimental effects on nearby plant and animal life. Currently, the number of studies conducted on the effects of TiO₂NPs is quite small, especially when it comes to edible crops. Because of this lack of research data, this study has been designed to assess the effect of TiO₂ NPs exposure on …

Hydrogenation Of Organic Matter As A Terminal Electron Sink Sustains High Co2:Ch4 Production Ratios During Anaerobic Decomposition, Rachel M. Wilson, Malak M. Tfaily, Virginia I. Rich, Jason K. Keller, Scott D. Bridgham, Cassandra Medvedeff Zalman, Laura Meredith, Paul J. Hanson, Mark Hines, Laurel Pfeifer-Meister, Scott R. Saleska, Patrick Crill, William T. Cooper, Jeff P. Chanton, Joel E. Kostka

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Once inorganic electron acceptors are depleted, organic matter in anoxic environments decomposes by hydrolysis, fermentation, and methanogenesis, requiring syntrophic interactions between microorganisms to achieve energetic favorability. In this classic anaerobic food chain, methanogenesis represents the terminal electron accepting (TEA) process, ultimately producing equimolar CO₂ and CH₄ for each molecule of organic matter degraded. However, CO₂:CH₄ production in Sphagnum-derived, mineral-poor, cellulosic peat often substantially exceeds this 1:1 ratio, even in the absence of measureable inorganic TEAs. Since the oxidation state of C in both cellulose-derived organic matter and acetate is 0, and CO₂ has …

The Interacting Roles Of Climate, Soils, And Plant Production On Soil Microbial Communities At A Continental Scale, M. P. Waldrop, J. M. Holloway, D. B. Smith, M. B. Goldhaber, Rebecca E. Drenovsky, K. M. Scow, R. Dick, D. Howard, B. Wylie, J. B. Grace

2017 Faculty Bibliography

Soil microbial communities control critical ecosystem processes such as decomposition, nutrient cycling, and soil organic matter formation. Continental scale patterns in the composition and functioning of microbial communities are related to climatic, biotic, and edaphic factors such as temperature and precipitation, plant community composition, and soil carbon, nitrogen, and pH. Although these relationships have been well explored individually, the examination of the factors that may act directly on microbial communities vs. those that may act indirectly through other ecosystem properties has not been well developed. To further such understanding, we utilized structural equation modeling (SEM) to evaluate a set of …

Dissecting The Genetic Basis Of Salt Tolerance In Rice (Oryza Sativa), Malachy Thomas Campbell

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Excessive salt is a major factor limiting crop productivity. Rice is an important food crop worldwide, and provides a major source of calories for billions of people in tropical and subtropical developing countries. In many regions throughout Southeast Asia, rice is grown in low-lying coastal regions, which are prone to ingress by seawater. Rice is highly sensitive to salt stress, with mild salinity resulting in large reductions in yield. Improving salt tolerance in rice is essential for ensuring food security for many individuals throughput the developing world.

In this work, the overall goals were to characterize a diverse collection of …

Population-Level Coordination Of Pigment Response In Individual Cyanobacterial Cells Under Altered Nitrogen Levels, Jaclyn Murton, Aparna Nagarajan, Amelia Y. Nguyen, Michelle Liberton, Harmony A. Hancock, Himadri B. Pakrasi, Jerilyn A. Timlin

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Cyanobacterial phycobilisome (PBS) pigment-protein complexes harvest light and transfer the energy to reaction centers. Previous ensemble studies have shown that cyanobacteria respond to changes in nutrient availability by modifying the structure of PBS complexes, but this process has not been visualized for individual pigments at the single-cell level due to spectral overlap. We characterized the response of four key photosynthetic pigments to nitrogen depletion and repletion at the subcellular level in individual, live Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 cells using hyperspectral confocal fluorescence microscopy and multivariate image analysis. Our results revealed that PBS degradation and re-synthesis comprise a rapid response to …

Effects Of Mycorrhizal Fungi On Vigna Radiata Growth In Soil Differing In Fertilizer Concentration, Ming Sum Jessica Cheng

Pursuit - The Journal of Undergraduate Research at The University of Tennessee

Mycorrhizal fungi form mutualistic relationships with the roots of some plants, allowing the plant access to nutrients and minerals while the fungi obtain food from the plant. Given that this relationship is beneficial to the plant, this paper investigates the nature of the impact of presence of mycorrhizal fungi on the growth of Vigna radiata (mung beans) in soil of differing chemical environments. Through comparing the stem lengths of plants seven days after germination, it is found that in soil with 0.0% fertilizer, the presence of locally collected, unclassified mycorrhizal fungi impacts the growth of Vigna radiata negatively; in intermediate …

Protocol For Enrichment Of The Membrane Proteome Of Mature Tomato Pollen, Puneet Paul, Palak Chaturvedi, Anida Mesihovic, Arindam Ghatak, Wolfram Weckwerth, Enrico Schleiff

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

We established and elaborated on a method to enrich the membrane proteome of mature pollen from economically relevant crop using the example of Solanum lycopersicum (tomato). To isolate the pollen protein fraction enriched in membrane proteins, a high salt concentration (750 mM of sodium chloride) was used. The membrane protein-enriched fraction was then subjected to shotgun proteomics for identification of proteins, followed by in silico analysis to annotate and classify the detected proteins.

Floristic Response To Urbanization: Filtering Of The Bioregional Flora In Indianapolis, Indiana, Usa, Rebecca W. Dolan, Myla F.J. Aronson, Andrew L. Hipp

Biological Sciences

PREMISE OF THE STUDY: Globally, urban plant populations are becoming increasingly important, as these plants play a vital role in ameliorating effects of ecosystem disturbance and climate change. Urban environments act as filters to bioregional flora, presenting survival challenges to spontaneous plants. Yet, because of the paucity of inventory data on plants in landscapes both before and after urbanization, few studies have directly investigated this effect of urbanization.

METHODS: We used historical, contemporary, and regional plant species inventories for Indianapolis, Indiana USA to evaluate how urbanization filters the bioregional flora based on species diversity, functional traits, and phylogenetic community structure. …

First Report Of Xanthomonas Vasicola Causing Bacterial Leaf Streak On Corn In The United States, K. A. Korus, J. M. Lang, A. O. Adesemoye, C. C. Block, N. Pal, J. E. Leach, T. A. Jackson-Ziems

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

In 2014 and 2015, Zea mays samples (field, seed, and popcorn) were submitted to the Plant and Pest Diagnostic Clinic at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln displaying long, dark, yellow to brown, water-soaked, linear lesions confined to the interveinal spaces of the leaves. Initial symptoms appeared as small water-soaked flecks that expanded between veins to form irregular lesions. In some cases, the disease progressed to cover 40 to 50% of the leaf area. The disease was confirmed by symptom expression and bacterial streaming in 41 counties in Nebraska as well as Yuma Co., Colorado, and Phillips Co., Kansas, both contiguous to …

Cover Crops: A Primer, Joshua J. Miller, Katja Koehler-Cole, Rodrigo Werle, Daren Redfearn

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

When deciding how best to use cover crops, it is important to consider the ultimate goal. Is it to increase soil organic matter, increase nutrient availability to subsequent crops, reduce soil compaction, supply forage for livestock, and/or suppress weeds? Answering these questions will help identify the cover crops that offer the best chance of success for meeting the goal. Primarily, cover crops are used to enhance soil conservation, nutrient cycling and supply, and weed control. However, these benefits vary based on the species of cover crop that is planted, so it is important to select the crop type that will …

The Population Genetics Of Morro Bay Eelgrass (Zostera Marina), Julia Gardner Harencar

Master's Theses

Seagrass populations are in decline worldwide. Zostera marina (eelgrass), one of California’s native seagrasses, is no exception to this trend. In the last 8 years, Morro Bay, California has lost 95% of its eelgrass. Eelgrass is an ecosystem engineer, providing important ecosystem services such as sediment stabilization, nutrient cycling, and nursery habitats for fish. The failure of recent restoration efforts necessitates a better understanding of the causes of eelgrass decline in this estuary. Previous research on eelgrass in California has demonstrated a link between population genetic diversity and eelgrass bed health, ecosystem functioning, and resilience to disturbance and extreme climatic …

Transcriptomic Resources For The Medicinal Legume Mucuna Pruriens: De Novo Transcriptome Assembly, Annotation, Identification And Validation Of Est-Ssr Markers, N. Sathyanarayana, Ranjith Kumar Pittala, Pankaj Kumar Tripathi, Ratan Chopra, Heikham Russiachand Singh, Vikas Belamkar, Pardeep Kumar Bhardwaj, Jeff J. Doyle, Ashley N. Egan

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Background:

The medicinal legume Mucuna pruriens (L.) DC. has attracted attention worldwide as a source of the anti-Parkinson’s drug L-Dopa. It is also a popular green manure cover crop that offers many agronomic benefits including high protein content, nitrogen fixation and soil nutrients. The plant currently lacks genomic resources and there is limited knowledge on gene expression, metabolic pathways, and genetics of secondary metabolite production. Here, we present transcriptomic resources for M. pruriens, including a de novo transcriptome assembly and annotation, as well as differential transcript expression analyses between root, leaf, and pod tissues. We also develop microsatellite markers …

Size-Dependent Patterns Of Reproductive Investment In The North American Invasive Plant Species Triadica Sebifera (L.) Small (Euphorbiaceae), Courtney H. Babin

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Knowledge of sex allocation trade-offs with tree growth in insect-pollinated woody plants is limited, particularly in invasive plants. This study examined patterns of growth and reproductive investment in a North American invasive plant species, Triadica sebifera, I hypothesized that the energy limitations of smaller trees may result in the production of more male reproductive structures that are energetically less costly. Diameter at breast height was a significant predictor of seed and catkin mass and regression can describe these relationships across sites. Seed and catkin mass were positively correlated across sites. The relationship between the seed mass:catkin mass ratio and …

A Comprehensive Analysis Of Alternative Splicing In Paleopolyploid Maize, Wenbin Mei, Sanzhen Liu, James C. Schnable, Cheng-Ting Yeh, Nathan M. Springer, Patrick S. Schnable, William Brad Barbazuk

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Identifying and characterizing alternative splicing (AS) enables our understanding of the biological role of transcript isoform diversity. This study describes the use of publicly available RNA-Seq data to identify and characterize the global diversity of AS isoforms in maize using the inbred lines B73 and Mo17, and a related species, sorghum. Identification and characterization of AS within maize tissues revealed that genes expressed in seed exhibit the largest differential AS relative to other tissues examined. Additionally, differences in AS between the two genotypes B73 and Mo17 are greatest within genes expressed in seed. We demonstrate that changes in the level …

Herbaceous 2017, Julia I. Chapman, Margaret E. Maloney, Taylor M. Buskey, Ryan W. Mcewan

Data Files: Drew Woods Permanent Plots

Herbaceous vegetation data collected in 2017 at Drew Woods State Nature Preserve in Darke County, OH. Data key is provided in a supplemental file.

Effects Of The Microenvironment Surrounding Cys433 In Arabidopsis Β-Amylase-1 And -3 On The Sensitivity To Glutathionylation By Nitrosoglutathione, Matthew R. Kohler

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Glutathionylation is a reversible post-translational modification of proteins involving the transfer of glutathione to the thiols of specific cysteine residues. While the mechanism behind glutathionylation is known, the specificity of cysteine glutathionylation is not understood. It is known, however, that the two main factors affecting the susceptibility to glutathionylation are the reactivity and accessibility of cysteines in proteins, which is determined by the microenvironment. Using β-amylases (BAMs) 1 and 3 from Arabidopsis thaliana, which have different sensitivities to nitrosoglutathione (GSNO), as a model, I attempted to provide insight into why some cysteines are glutathionylated by GSNO and others are …

Differentiating The Neches River Rose Mallow (Hibiscus Dasycalyx) From Its Congeners By Means Of Phylogenetics And Population Genetics, Julia Norrell

Biology Theses

This study used molecular phylogenetic methods to attempt to resolve the taxonomic status of the federally threatened East Texas-endemic wildflower, the Neches River Rose Mallow (Hibiscus dasycalyx). Hibiscus dasycalyx co-occurs with two other closely related congeners that are currently not of conservation concern: the halberdleaf rose mallow (H. laevis); and the crimson-eyed rose mallow (H. moscheutos). This study assessed the phylogeny of these three Hibiscus species, and attempted to determine if there is possible hybridization occurring between them. To this end, Restriction Site Associated DNA Sequencing (RAD-Seq), a Next Generation Sequencing method, was used …

Phenotypic Variation And Genetic Purity Of The Original 'Prime-Jim®' X 'Arapaho' Population, Loren M. Luther

Horticulture Undergraduate Honors Theses

In 2013, Castro et al., produced the first linkage map for primocane-fruiting blackberries using the cross ‘Prime-Jim®’ x ‘Arapaho.’ This mapping population has been maintained since the original experiment with the hopes of conducting future studies. Further research was determined to be needed on the population to better characterize additional phenotypic traits, and since nine years had passed since the seedlings were established, there was a need to assess the continued genetic purity of the population using molecular methods. Phenotypic data was collected to analyze the variation of the population including soluble solids content, titratable acidity, average weight, shape, and …