Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Availability

Open Access Thesis

Keywords

Corn--Morphology; Peptides--Separation;

Abstract

A number of similar models, i.e., Bonner's (1965) switching networks model, Kinet et al.'s (1985) evocation/determination model, Heslop-Harrison (1969) and Poethig's (1988) phytomer model, have been proposed to describe morphogenesis in plants as a product of sequential changes in cellular protein complement resulting from differential gene expression. The switch point model for Zea mays development predicts changes in the protein complements at each successive developmental stage. The objective of this study was to map, using two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (2-D PAGE), the protein complement of three morphological stages of the z. mays ear: spikelet primordia (SP), spikelet primordia with glumes (SPG), and floret primordia with glumes (FPG). The 2-D PAGE gel maps for each morphological stage were compared for quantitative and/or qualitative differences in their protein complements. Of the approximately 800 plus polypeptides resolved, 23 were considered a subset associated with spikelet development. These stage-associated polypeptides showed five different patterns of occurrence coincident with spikelet morphogenesis. The majority of these polypeptides were observed at two of the three morphological stages, SP and SPG, and SP and FPG. Stage-associated polypeptides which were unique to a single stage were found for SP and SPG. No stage-associated polypeptides were unique to FPG. A distinct subset of maize ear polypeptides was discovered in the protein complements of SP, SPG, and FPG that varied in occurrence with successive organogenetic stages. This provides new evidence for the switch point model of maize inflorescence development, and supports the concepts of the switching networks model, evocation/determination model, and the phytomer model.

Year of Submission

1989

Degree Name

Master of Arts

Department

Department of Biology

First Advisor

Alan Orr

Second Advisor

Robert Seager

Third Advisor

Paul Whitson

Comments

If you are the rightful copyright holder of this thesis and wish to have it removed from the Open Access Collection, please submit a request to scholarworks@uni.edu and include clear identification of the work, preferably with URL.

Date Original

1989

Object Description

1 PDF file (86 leaves)

Language

en

File Format

application/pdf

Included in

Biology Commons

Share

COinS