Poster: Reproductive development

Abs # 371: Secret agent affects flowering time

Presenter:	Hartweck, Lynn M., hartw006@tc.umn.edu
Authors	Hartweck, Lynn M. (A)   Olszewski, Neil E. (A)   Scott, Cheryl L. (A)
Affiliations:	(A): University of Minnesota

In plants there are two genes that encode O-linked N-Acetylglucosamine transferase (OGT) proteins, SECRET AGENT (SEC) and SPINDLY(SPY). OGTs add an O-linked N-acetylglucosamine(O-GlcNAC) residue to serine or threonine amino acids. In some cases, O-GlcNAc modification regulates the stability, localization and/or function of the protein. Current work seeks to understand the role of OGTs in plant development by defining the overlapping vs. unique roles of SEC and SPY. Previous studies have shown that SPY is a negative regulator of gibberellin signal transduction. Experiments with plants with a chromosome III containing mutations in both SEC and SPY revealed that the proteins have overlapping roles in gametophyte and embryo development. Recent results will be presented demonstrating that SEC has a role in determining the number of days until flowering.