Iowa State University researchers delve deeper into the genes that help plants grow and survive in the face of environmental threats, with the goal of creating more resilient crops to feed the world received government support to do so.
Michelle Guo, assistant professor of genetics, development, and cell biology at ISU, has spent nearly 20 years studying a gene in plants called “feronia,” which is responsible for a variety of plant functions and functions. impacting the process. Now, with about $2 million in grants, Guo and his colleagues are looking at the genes of different cell types to try to shut down certain functions and preserve others.
According to Guo, this gene is involved in the plant’s smooth growth and protection from stress. For example, removing or disrupting genes would produce what she called “dwarf plants,” which would also be more sensitive to things like salt, which would affect their growth.
“This gene really provides a window into looking inside the plant to really try to understand the balance of growth and stress in the plant, so we can, for example, develop breeding plans to create more resilient crops. “You will be able to understand what is important for designing ‘plants,'” Guo said.
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Guo received a five-year, $1.8 million grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences to support her research. The grant, called the Maximized Investigator Research Award (MIRA) for early-stage researchers, does not fund a specific project or research area, but directly funds Guo. Mr. Guo can use this award as needed.
“You can do a lot of things with this. The freedom is really amazing and remarkable,” Guo said. “It also means that students and postdocs in the lab can pursue exciting directions if they have a great idea. Funding is unlimited, so funding can support them.”
Feronia has been “in the public eye” for about 20 years, and Guo has been studying it for about the same amount of time as other groups. She said she hopes other researchers can approach the study from different angles and ultimately inform the work of others.
Traditional methods of finding out what’s going on inside a plant involve grinding up the whole plant and comparing it to another plant, which can cause scientists to miss important information, Guo said. Ta. With the help of the grant, the research team is instead using single-cell RNA-sequencing to study genes in the different types of cells that make up plants.
Guo and her team are working with roots of Arabidopsis thaliana (thale cress) to partially, but not completely, disrupt the genes to see how the plants grow. Plant roots have the Feronia gene in different cell types, and this opens up a world of possibilities to study gene function in different areas, and ultimately use this knowledge to do better under adverse conditions. It may be possible to manipulate plants to grow, she said.
Guo collaborates with fellow ISU alumnus, Caltech assistant professor Trevor Nolan, and works with graduate and undergraduate students on the research.
Beyond the research itself, Guo said the grant will be used to expand support efforts on and off campus. One of the groups she encourages to come check out the lab and its work is undergraduate students, to give them early exposure to real research and help her find people who want to participate. is.
Guo also plans to recruit high school science teachers to help with the research through a summer program offered by the university, allowing them to work in the lab. From her previous experience working with both groups, Guo said that young students and high school teachers bring a lot of curiosity to the lab and often ask questions she hadn’t thought of.
“Sometimes when you work in a lab for too long, you forget to ask questions, but those are great because they bring in fresh eyes and fresh ideas,” Guo said.
She said she also plans to develop classes to teach undergraduate students, primarily freshmen, about research and laboratory techniques.
As the effects of climate change become increasingly clear, it is more important than ever that crops be able to produce high yields even under less than ideal conditions, Guo said. Creating a more food secure world is the ultimate goal behind this research, and helping young scientists further their careers by completing and publishing research on this important topic There is also.
“Plants take time to evolve if you leave them alone, and the learning curve isn’t that steep, right?” Guo said. “So we need to really accelerate that process…understand how plants respond to this, manipulate plants and help them adapt to this climate change that is happening more frequently.” to find a way to.”
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