Research Focus: Cell Separation and Abscission in Arabidopsis thaliana
The research efforts of the Patterson lab are directed towards understanding the mechanisms that regulate cell separation and cell-cell adhesion. Of particular interest is the process of abscission in which the organs of a plant are detached from the main body of the plant in a developmentally regulated program. Our focus has been to identify the genes which control this process using floral organ abscission in Arabidopsis as a model system. We are using two basic approaches: 1) a broad base phenotypic screen for delayed abscission mutants from a collection of T-DNA tagged Arabidopsis plants and 2) a reverse genetic approach using PCR in which we have targeted specific cell wall hydrolytic enzymes including endo-beta-1,4- glucanases (cellulases), polygalacturonases, pectin lyases, and pectin methylesterases. These approaches allow us to identify both regulatory and structural genes controlling abscission. Abscission and cell separation are important agricultural traits regulating processes including fruit drop, foliage loss, and cut flower longevity, and our ability to understand these processes will ultimately lead to many aspects of crop improvement.