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Molecular approaches to understanding auxin action
1Department of Biochemistry, University of Missouri-Columbia 65211.
The New Biologist
|October 1, 1989
Summary
Plant hormone auxin influences growth by rapidly altering messenger RNA (mRNA) expression. Research is ongoing to understand how auxin regulates genes and its role in plant development.
Area of Science:
- Plant Biology
- Molecular Biology
- Genetics
Background:
- The plant hormone auxin regulates numerous growth and developmental processes.
- The precise molecular mechanisms underlying auxin's effects are not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how auxin rapidly and specifically alters gene expression.
- To identify auxin-responsive mRNAs and understand their regulation.
Main Methods:
- Isolation and characterization of auxin-responsive mRNAs from various plant systems.
- Elucidation of gene sequences and organization for identified mRNAs.
Main Results:
- Auxin rapidly and specifically alters the expression of a select set of mRNAs.
- Regulation of auxin-responsive mRNA accumulation occurs at transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels.
Conclusions:
- Current research focuses on identifying regulatory elements (cis-acting) and factors (trans-acting) involved in auxin gene regulation.
- The functional roles of auxin-responsive gene products in plant growth require further investigation.