Minisymposium 7: Emerging Technologies

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Abs # M0704: Generation and characterization of fluorescent protein tagged maize lines for use in cell biology and genomics

Presenter:	Mohanty, Amitabh       Contact Presenter
Authors	Mohanty, Amitabh  (A)   Ling, Xingyuan  (B)   Yang, Yan  (A)   Chan, Agnes  (C)   Sylvester, Anne W (B)   Jackson, David  (A)
Affiliations:	(A): Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, 1, Bungtown Road, Cold Spring Harbor, NY-11724 (B): Dept. of Botany, 1000 E. University Ave, University of Wyoming, Laramie, MY82071 (C): The Institute of Genomics Research, 9712 Medical Center Drive, Rockville, MD20850
Web Site:	http://maize.tigr.org/cellgenomics

Maize cells consist of interconnected but discrete compartments that help to maintain cellular function and order. Identifying proteins that localize to these compartments is critical to understanding developmental and physiological processes in maize, which in turn provides guiding information for crop improvement. We are using recent advances in genomics to identify proteins that localize to diverse cellular compartments by generating reporter lines that express proteins tagged with a fluorescent marker. Using confocal microscopy, these lines will display visual information about when and where the tagged proteins are expressed and how specific proteins may be interacting and about their function. Use of native regulatory sequences allows us to define maize organ and tissue-specific promoters, which at present are scarcely available. Several resources are being used for gene selection, including known genes from the auxin/cytokinin hormone pathway and from the RAB-mediated vesicle trafficking pathways. We shall include inputs from the maize research community as well. The outcomes of the project will include a set of stable tagged lines expressing fluorescent protein-derived tags for 100 proteins, representing various cellular compartments. The tagged gene constructs and lines will be freely available. Sub-cellular localization data will be compiled and made available at http://maize.tigr.org/cellgenomics. The project will therefore generate resources that bridge cell biology and functional genomics and will provide training across diverse scientific and learning communities. Funding by the NSF Plant Genome Research Program is gratefully acknowledged.