The balance between plant immunity and development: interactions of SRFR1 and TCP transcription factors
Abstract
[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] Plants have developed a highly effective immune system for resisting microbial pathogens. One layer of the plant innate immune system is effector-triggered immunity. This immune response is detrimental to the plant if it is not controlled properly. We performed a suppressor mutant and identified the plant immune regulator SRFR1 (SUPPRESSOR OF rps4-RLD1). SRFR1 interacts with TCP (Teosinte Branched1, Cycloidea, PCF) transcription factor family. Our recent results show that tcp mutants were more susceptible than wild-type plants to bacteria expressing recognized effectors, indicating that TCP transcription factors also function in effector-triggered immunity. With chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP), a technique that aims to determine whether specific proteins such as transcription factors are associated with specific promoters, we will determine which promoters are occupied by TCP transcription factors to help understand the transcriptional network controlled by TCPs. Results from these experiments will help identify how SRFR1 regulates the balance between plant development and immune responses.
Degree
M.S.
Thesis Department
Rights
Access is limited to the University of Missouri - Columbia.