CCDC22 and CCDC93 play a role in root meristem cell size in Arabidopsis thaliana
Conference Year
2023
Abstract
The retriever complex, consisting of VPS26C, VPS35A, and VPS29, has been shown to be involved in polarized growth in Arabidopsis thaliana. A similar complex in humans is involved in recycling plasma membrane proteins, and is associated with a number of proteins, including CCDC22 and CCDC93. Recent work in our lab has shown that homologues of CCDC22 and CCDC93 in Arabidopsis are required for both root and root hair growth. To further investigate the short root phenotype in ccdc22 and ccdc93, we first asked whether this was due to a difference in their cellular elongation in roots. We measured the rate of root growth in wild type (wt), ccdc22, and ccdc93 seedlings in the presence and absence of 1‐naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) and found that the elongation rate of ccdc22 and ccdc93 and their response to NAA was similar to wt seedlings. We then asked whether the short root phenotype was due to a difference in cell size throughout the root. We stained six‐day‐old wt and ccdc22 seedlings with propidium iodide and imaged roots using confocal microscopy. Using these images, we measured epidermal cell size in the proximal meristem, transition zone, elongation zone, and in mature cells of seedling roots. These results demonstrated that cells in the proximal meristem and transition zone are significantly shorter in ccdc22 seedlings than wt. We are currently using a similar approach to characterize roots of ccdc93. We will also investigate the number of cells in the proximal meristem of wt, ccdc22, and ccdc93 seedlings by staining the seedlings with DAPI and imaging them using confocal microscopy. These results support a role for CCDC22 and CCDC93 in contributing to cell size in the root meristem of Arabidopsis. Further work will be required to determine the mechanism by which these proteins function during root growth.
Primary Faculty Mentor Name
Mary L. Tierney
Status
Undergraduate
Student College
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Program/Major
Molecular Genetics
Primary Research Category
Life Sciences
CCDC22 and CCDC93 play a role in root meristem cell size in Arabidopsis thaliana
The retriever complex, consisting of VPS26C, VPS35A, and VPS29, has been shown to be involved in polarized growth in Arabidopsis thaliana. A similar complex in humans is involved in recycling plasma membrane proteins, and is associated with a number of proteins, including CCDC22 and CCDC93. Recent work in our lab has shown that homologues of CCDC22 and CCDC93 in Arabidopsis are required for both root and root hair growth. To further investigate the short root phenotype in ccdc22 and ccdc93, we first asked whether this was due to a difference in their cellular elongation in roots. We measured the rate of root growth in wild type (wt), ccdc22, and ccdc93 seedlings in the presence and absence of 1‐naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) and found that the elongation rate of ccdc22 and ccdc93 and their response to NAA was similar to wt seedlings. We then asked whether the short root phenotype was due to a difference in cell size throughout the root. We stained six‐day‐old wt and ccdc22 seedlings with propidium iodide and imaged roots using confocal microscopy. Using these images, we measured epidermal cell size in the proximal meristem, transition zone, elongation zone, and in mature cells of seedling roots. These results demonstrated that cells in the proximal meristem and transition zone are significantly shorter in ccdc22 seedlings than wt. We are currently using a similar approach to characterize roots of ccdc93. We will also investigate the number of cells in the proximal meristem of wt, ccdc22, and ccdc93 seedlings by staining the seedlings with DAPI and imaging them using confocal microscopy. These results support a role for CCDC22 and CCDC93 in contributing to cell size in the root meristem of Arabidopsis. Further work will be required to determine the mechanism by which these proteins function during root growth.