Abstract Detail

Bryology and Lichenology

Olson, Marie [1], Reinders, Anke [2], Ward, John [2], McDonald, Tami [3].

Cloning an ammonium transporter from the liverwort Marchantia polymorpha.

Ammonium is a vital source of nitrogen for plants. Plants acquire ammonium through membrane-spanning proteins called Ammonium Transporters/Ammonia Permeases. Together, these transporters are known as the AMT/MEP/Rh family. While all plants have AMT genes in their genomes, most green algae also have Rh genes, whereas land plants have MEP genes instead of Rhs, suggesting a replacement event in the early history of land plants. The liverwort Marchantia polymorpha is one of the earliest model plants to have a MEP, making it important for understanding the evolutionary history of the AMT/MEP/Rh family. While the AMTs of M. polymorpha have been previously characterized and shown to be electrogenic–they carry a charged particle across the membrane–the MEPs have not been characterized, and therefore it has not been shown if the MEPs are electroneutral as is predicted. The gene of a M. polymorpha MEP was cloned into a plasmid and transformed into E. coli. In order to test the functionality of the transporter, the gene was recombined into a plasmid for expression in yeast, and then transformed into a yeast strain lacking functional ammonium transporters. Yeast with the M. polymorpha MEP transporter were then grown on media in which ammonium sulfate was the only nitrogen source. Yeast that expressed the M. polymorpha MEP transporter were able to grow, showing that the transporter is functional. The next step is to perform electrophysiology to determine if the transporter is electroneutral.

1 - St. Catherine University, Department of Biology, 2004 Randolph Ave, St. Paul, MN, 55105
2 - University of Minnesota, Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, 1479 Gortner Avenue, St. Paul, MN, 55108
3 - St. Catherine University, 2004 Randolph Ave, St. Paul, MN, 55105, United States

Keywords:
Liverwort
Transporter
Ammonium
Molecular biology.

Presentation Type: Poster
Session: P, Bryology and Lichenology Posters
Location: Arizona Ballroom/Starr Pass
Date: Monday, July 29th, 2019
Time: 5:30 PM This poster will be presented at 6:15 pm. The Poster Session runs from 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm. Posters with odd poster numbers are presented at 5:30 pm, and posters with even poster numbers are presented at 6:15 pm.
Number: PBL012
Abstract ID:864
Candidate for Awards:None