Date of Award

Fall 12-2013

Degree Type

Thesis-Restricted

Degree Name

M.S.

Degree Program

Biological Sciences

Department

Biological Sciences

Major Professor

Dr. Vaniyambadi Sridhar

Second Advisor

Dr. Wendy Schlucter

Third Advisor

Dr. Bernard Rees

Abstract

Plants adapt to the complex environmental challenges by regulating their gene expression. Analyses of plant genomes have identified many genes that are either expressed or repressed during environmental stress. However we do not have much information on gene repression. Transcriptional repression in Arabidopsis thaliana is caused by co-repressors that lack the DNA binding domain and are recruited by transcription factors to regulate target gene expression. The Sridhar lab has identified co-repressors SLK1, SLK2, and LUH, which prevent the expression of stress response genes under non-stress conditions. Arabidopsis transgenic lines expressing the GUS under the control of co-repressor’s promoter were created, to determine the conditions during which the co-repressor are induced. In addition to that, transgenic plants expressing YFP fused with the co-repressor were created to study the sub-cellular localization of the co-repressor. I found that SLK1, SLK2, and LUH are expressed ubiquitously in most of the plants tissue evidenced by the promoter fusion to the GUS reporter. SLK1, SLK2, and LUH are induced by osmotic, cold and dehydration stress conditions. Furthermore, these proteins are localized in the nucleus of the cell.

Key words: Arabidopsis thaliana, Co-repressor, SLK1, SLK2, LUH, Transcription factors, Trangenesis, Stress condition, GUS, GFP

Rights

The University of New Orleans and its agents retain the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible this dissertation or thesis in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. The author retains all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis or dissertation.

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