Event



Spatial and Single-Cell Biology to Study Meristem Development in Duckweed and Plant-Microbe Interactions

Department of Biology Seminar Series
Dr. Kevin Cox, Donald Danforth Plant Science Center
- | Claire Fagin Hall Auditorium
Dr. Kevin Cox

Kevin L. Cox Jr. 1, Erika Schaudy 2, Keith E. Duncan1, Alex Harkess 3, Kirk J. Czymmek 1, Mark Somoza 2, and Blake C. Meyers 1

1- Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, St. Louis, MO; 2 - University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria; 3 - HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Huntsville, AL

 

Plant cells communicate information when responding to external stresses, such as pathogen invasion. One form of this communication is transcriptional regulation, which allows complex gene networks to operate both locally and systemically. To understand how genes regulate across plant tissues and organs, transcriptional data needs to be placed within a spatial, cellular and organismal context. My work aims to develop a platform that allows for spatially resolved, high-throughput transcriptional profiling at a cellular level in plants. We have developed microarrays aimed to perform spatial transcriptomics at a single-cell resolution. Using fresh tissue sections from Wolffia microscopia, a small duckweed, as one of the targeted organisms, my technology successfully captures mRNA and synthesizes cDNA in situ. In addition, I will discuss 3D imaging data and that combining it with spatial transcriptomics provides a multi-dimensional view of gene expression in plant organs. Finally, I will discuss how I will use these platforms to study cell-to-cell signaling in plant-fungal interactions.

 

Hosted by Dr. Corlett Wood

Home institution: Donald Danforth Plant Science Center

Follow Dr. Cox on Twitter at @K_Bioguy_Cox

 

 

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