Molecular characterization of senescence in annual and perennial plants
Flowering shoots eventually undergo senescence as seed maturation progresses. This phenomenon can be observed in plants that flower only once like Arabidopsis thaliana or Arabis montbretiana (annuals) as well as in plants that flower repeatedly over several years like Arabis alpina (perennial). However there is a major difference in the extent of senescence that occurs after flowering and therefore its developmental control between annual and perennial plants.
In Arabis alpina for example the senescence program is restricted to the flowering shoots of the plant, whereas in annuals the whole plant including vegetative axillary meristems undergo senescence after flowering has ceased. This project aims to translate knowledge gained in Arabidopsis thaliana to Arabis species and to compare the temporal and spatial expression of senescence regulators in the annual Arabis montbretiana and the perennial Arabis alpina. This will help to understand an important trait that differentiates annual and perennial species.
Keywords expertise: senescence, comparative transcriptome analyses, perennial traits, transcription factors, molecular genetics