Identification, cloning, and functional characterization of Lavandula floral development genes
department or school: Science, Irving K. Barber Faculty of (Okanagan)
department or school: Biology, Department of (Okanagan)
data provider: DSpace
degree campus: UBCO
creator: Wells, Rebecca
issued: 2020-09-03T14:57:39Z
issued: 2020
related degree: Master of Science - MSc
degree grantor: University of British Columbia
description: The molecular aspects of flower initiation and development have not been adequately investigated in lavender (Lavandula). In order to identify genes that control these processes, I employed RNA-Seq to obtain sequence information for transcripts originating from the vegetative shoot apical meristem (SAM) and developing inflorescence tissues of Lavandula angustifolia and Lavandula × intermedia plants, and assembled a comprehensive transcriptome of 105,294 contigs. Homology-based annotation provided gene ontology terms for the majority of transcripts, including over 100 genes homologous to those that control flower initiation and organ identity in Arabidopsis thaliana. Expression analysis revealed that most of these genes are differentially expressed during flower development. For example, LaSVP, a homolog of the floral repressor SHORT VEGETATIVE PHASE (SVP), was strongly expressed in vegetative SAM compared to developing flowers, implicating its potential involvement in flowering repression in lavender. In total, fourteen full-length lavender transcription factor homologs were identified. To investigate these genes further, I constitutively expressed each gene in transformed A. thaliana plants, evaluating the effects on flower initiation and morphology. Expression of the Lavandula genes in A. thaliana was gene- dependent. Phenotypic effects were observed for LaCC, LaFT, and LaSVP transformants. For example, constitutive expression of the LaSVP gene in A. thaliana delayed flowering and affected flower organ identity in a dosage- dependent manner. Four of the highest expressing lines produced sepals instead of petals and were sterile as they failed to develop proper seed pods. This study provides the foundation for future investigations aimed at elucidating flower initiation and development in lavender.
aggregated CHO: https://circle.library.ubc.ca/rest/handle/2429/75838
note: IDENTIFICATION, CLONING, AND FUNCTIONAL CHARACTERIZATION OF LAVANDULA FLORAL DEVELOPMENT GENES by Rebecca Wells BSc. (Honours) The University of British Columbia, 2017 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENT FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE in THE COLLEGE OF GRADUATE STUDIES (Biology) THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (Okanagan) August 2020 © Rebecca Wells 2020 i The following individuals certify that they have read, and recommend to the College of Graduate Studies for acceptance, a thesis/dissertation entitled: Identification, cloning, and functional characterization of Lavandula floral development genes submitted by Rebecca Wells in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Science in Biology Dr. Soheil Mahmoud, Biology, Irving K. Barber School of Arts and Sciences Supervisor Dr. Michael Deyholos, Biology, Irving K. Barber School of Arts and Sciences Supervisory Committee Member Dr. Louise Nelson, Biology, Irving K. Barber School of Arts and Sciences Supervisory Committee Member Dr. Hadi Mohammadi, Faculty of Applied Sciences, School of Engineering University Examiner ii Abstract The molecular aspects of flower initiation and development have not been adequately investigated in lavender (Lavandula). In order to identify genes that control these processes, I employed RNA-Seq to obtain sequence information for transcripts originating from the vegetative shoot apical meristem (SAM) and developing inflorescence tissues of Lavandula angustifolia and Lavandula × intermedia plants, and assembled a comprehensive transcriptome of 105,294 contigs. Homology-based annotation provided gene ontology terms for the majority of transcripts, including over 100 genes homologous to those that control flower initiation and organ identity in Arabidopsis thaliana. Expression analysis revealed that most of these genes are differentially expressed during flower development. For example, LaSVP, a homolog of the floral repressor SHORT VEGETA…
has type: Thesis/Dissertation
date issued: 2020-09
is shown at: 10.14288/1.0394184
language: eng
degree discipline: Biology
provider: Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
publisher: University of British Columbia
rights: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
rights URI: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
scholar level: Graduate
type: Text
identifier URI: http://hdl.handle.net/2429/75838