Speaker:
Adam Saffer
Seminar Date:
Friday, September 8, 2017 - 8:30am
Location:
BECTON SEMINAR ROOM
Prospect Street
New Haven, CT
Although specific organs in some plant species exhibit helical growth patterns of fixed or variable handedness, plant organs typically grow in a linear and non-chiral fashion. I am investigating the sources of chirality in plant growth and the factors that allow most plant tissues to grow non-helically. Plant cells are surrounded by cell walls composed primarily of polysaccharides, which control growth and cell expansion. I have found that decreasing the abundance of a specific cell wall pectic polysaccharide causes dramatic left-handed helical growth of petal epidermal cells, leading to left-handed twisted petals. These findings reveal a novel source of left-handed plant growth caused by changes in cell wall composition and implicate pectin in the control of plant cell patterning. In this talk, I will discuss ongoing work into how cell wall composition controls the chirality and helical growth of plant cells and organs.
Host:
Corey O'Hern
Seminar Announcement Brochure: