Transcriptomics of temperature adaptation in moss

Nakagawa, Carter

Student Work

Transcriptomics of temperature adaptation in moss

Público Deposited

Plant biology is a key research topic due to the variety of functions plants perform for our society and in nature. Present dangers to plants including global warming and pollution may have ecological and economic consequences if understanding of plant biology is insufficient to solve such problems. Cellular mechanisms of growth are one such topic that is vital to understanding factors that affect plant health. With discoveries and advancements made in recent decades, the potential of this research has only increased. Model organisms provide a convenient framework for experimental plant research, while technologies such as next generation sequencing (NGS) have furthered our ability to identify the genomic properties underlying plant biology. This project leverages these developments and builds on previous research to investigate the role of Myosin XI in tip growth, with the moss Physcomitrium patens as a model. Myosin XI has already been implicated as a key factor in P. patens tip growth, with defects in Myosin XI resulting in lack of growth and cell death in developing moss. However, the exact mechanisms by which Myosin XI enables tip growth are not fully understood. We hypothesized that Myosin XI is involved in numerous pathways related to cell growth and survival. To confirm this, we analyzed RNAseq data from a temperature-sensitive Myosin XI moss line. Our results confirm widespread transcriptome remodeling as a result of Myosin XI loss-of-function and identify several potential key genes which may coordinate with functional Myosin XI to ensure proper tip growth in P. patens.

This report represents the work of one or more WPI undergraduate students submitted to the faculty as evidence of completion of a degree requirement. WPI routinely publishes these reports on its website without editorial or peer review.

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