PLANT REPRODUCTION PROGRAM
Executive Summary
Objective
Establish a multi-investigator program in the area of
Plant Reproduction to enhance
research activities and promote interactions between
the investigators. The benefit is an
integrated multidisciplinary program to address and
apply basic aspects of plant reproduction to
the agricultural industry.
Organization
Utilizes the organization and existing structure for
the Center for Reproductive
Biology at the University of Idaho and Washington State
University to help administer and
integrate the research programs.
Summary
The collaborative plant reproduction research program
proposed will address a central theme to identify the
basic mechanistic aspects of plant reproduction such
that new strategies can be identified to impact the
agricultural industry. The projects involved in the
program are: Research proposed by Dr. Browse is to
determine the genes encoding signaling components
involved in anther maturation. An investigation into
the role of Ascorbic Acid in reproductive structure
development is performed by Dr. Vince Franceschi. Dr.
Andrew McCubbin aims to examine the role of
calcium-dependent protein kinases (CDPK's) in pollen
tube growth and pollen-pistil interactions. The
investigation of Dr. Poovaiah involves studying the
functional significance of Calcium signaling in
microsporogenesis. Dr. Loverine Taylor proposes to
identify components of signaling pathways that control
pollen germination and growth by characterizing
protein-protein and protein-small molecule interactions
An investigation of the significance of long distance
transport of organic nitrogen tranport for seed
development is proposed by Dr. Mechthild Tegeder. The
aim of the research proposed by Dr. von Wettstein is to
better understand the fundamentals of epigenetic
changes during pollen and endosperm development.
Application of this basic research on the mechanistic
aspects of plant reproduction will be targeted towards
maximizing seed set and seed yield/quality in
agricultural and horticultural crops,
understanding/optimizing reproductive strategies in
endangered or ecologically sensitive species and
development of hybrid breeding systems in crop
plants.
Projects
The central theme of the proposed projects is an
integrated approach to a basic understanding of the
mechanisms controlling plant reproduction.
Project 1
Dr. John Browse, WSU, Gene Expression During Anther
Maturation in Arabidopsis.
Project 2
Dr. Andrew McCubbin, WSU , The Role of
Calcium-Dependent Protein Kinases
(CDPK's) in Pollen Tube Growth and Pollen-Pistil
Interactions
Project 3
Dr. Joe Poovaiah, WSU, Calcium/Calmodulin-mediated
Signaling During
Microsporogenesis.
Project 4
Dr. Loverine Taylor, WSU, Signaling Pathways in
Pollen-Pistil Interactions.
Project 5
Dr. Mechthild Tegeder, WSU, Role of Long Distance
Transport of Organic Nitrogen in Development of Legume
Seeds.
Project 6
Dr. Diter von Wettstein, WSU, Epigenetic Changes During
Pollen and Endosperm
Development in Barley.