Authors:

Jennah Brown

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About Paper:

Food security has become a growing concern as we look to the future. Having a more thorough understanding of plant functioning can help to improve the efficiency of crops and their response to changing environmental conditions. In this study, we seek to outline specific carbohydrate phloem loading mechanisms in Nicotiana tabacum by intentionally downregulating sucrose transporter 1 (SUT1). Phloem loading is a significant mechanism utilized in plants to transport sugars and amino acids from photosynthetic sites to conducting sieve tubes. This process is fundamental to growth, storage, and other significant plant functions. The cellular structure of N. tabacum resembles those of major crops and can be utilized as a model species for the transformation technique to better understand physiological mechanisms. We measured SUT1 mRNA concentration in transformed leaf samples to analyze the effectiveness of downregulation. Downregulated N. tabacum samples showed phenotypic chlorosis made evident by the accumulation of carbohydrates in leaf tissue. To quantify the difference among SUT1 downregulated N. tabacum and wild type, we performed a soluble carbohydrate analysis. Accumulation of carbohydrates among downregulated N. tabacum is suspected to result in decreased photosynthetic efficiency. Therefore, photosynthetic rates were measured for downregulated N. tabacum and wild type. The results indicate that downregulated N. tabacum utilized apoplastic phloem loading and when manipulated, affects sucrose transport and photosynthetic abilities.

Source:

Purdue University / 2023

Topics:

No topics listed

Co-authors:

Jennah Brown