Plant Development Flashcards
(7 cards)
1
Q
What are the key characteristics of plant development compared to animals?
A
- Development is most post-embryonic
- Germ cells are established after development (unlike animals)
- Plants are sessile organisms
- Cells are bounded by cellulose cell walls
- Development shows high phenotypic plasticity
2
Q
What are the different scales plant signalling?
A
- Intracellular
- Local (e.g. ROS)
- Systemic (long distance signals, like SA)
- Between plants
- Between generations
3
Q
What factors are involved in regulating meristem activity?
A
- WUS gene expression (maintains pluripotent state)
- Chromatin remodelling
- microRNAs (repress gene transcription)
- Plant hormones
- Signalling crosstalk
4
Q
Why is measuring calcium signals challenging in plants?
A
- Concentrations are low
- Changes are transient and rapid
- Sub-cellular location is important
- Signals are cell-specific
5
Q
What methods are used to measure calcium concentration in plants?
A
- Injection of Ca2+ sensitive dyes (INDO-1, FURA-2)
- Transgenic plants expressing Ca2+ sensitive proteins (Aequorin or FRET)
6
Q
How does Forester Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) work to measure calcium?
A
- Uses 2 fluorescent proteins (blue and yellow) linked by calcium binding site
- Low calcium = no binding, appears blue
High calcium = proteins bound together, appears green
7
Q
What are the key findings about calcium oscillations in guard cells?
A
- 2-3 oscillations can induce stomatal closure
- Optimal oscillations are 10 minutes apart
- Transient duration of 5 minutes produces optimal response
- Anion channels play important role
- Different frequencies of oscillation encode different information
