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Anna-Lisa Paul

Publications and source records attributed to Anna-Lisa Paul.

9 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

High magnetic field induced changes of gene expression in arabidopsis.

BACKGROUND: High magnetic fields are becoming increasingly prevalent components of non-invasive, biomedical imaging tools (such as MRI), thus, an understanding of the molecular impacts associated with these field strengths in biological systems is of central importance. The biological impact of magnetic field strengths up to 30 Tesla were investigated in this study through the use of transgenic Arabidopsis plants engineered with a stress response gene consisting of the alcohol dehydrogenase (Adh) gene promoter driving the beta-glucuronidase (GUS) gene reporter. METHODS: Magnetic field induced Adh/GUS activity was evaluated with histochemical staining to assess tissue specific expression and distribution, and with quantitative, spectrofluometric assays to measure degree of activation. The evaluation of global changes in the Arabidopsis genome in response to exposure to high magnetic fields was facilitated with Affymetrix Gene Chip microarrays. Quantitative analyses of gene expression were performed with quantitative real-time polymerase-chain-reaction (qRT-PCR). RESULTS: Field strengths in excess of about 15 Tesla induce expression of the Adh/GUS transgene in the roots and leaves. From the microarray analyses that surveyed 8000 genes, 114 genes were differentially expressed to a degree greater than 2.5 fold over the control. These results were quantitatively corroborated by qRT-PCR examination of 4 of the 114 genes. CONCLUSION: The data suggest that magnetic fields in excess of 15 Tesla have far-reaching effect on the genome. The wide-spread induction of stress-related genes and transcription factors, and a depression of genes associated with cell wall metabolism, are prominent examples. The roles of magnetic field orientation of macromolecules and magnetophoretic effects are discussed as possible factors that contribute to the mounting of this response.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2006

Exposure of Arabidopsis thaliana to hypobaric environments: implications for low-pressure bioregenerative life support systems for human exploration missions and terraforming on Mars.

Understanding how hypobaria can affect net photosynthetic (P (net)) and net evapotranspiration rates of plants is important for the Mars Exploration Program because low-pressured environments may be used to reduce the equivalent system mass of near-term plant biology experiments on landers or future bioregenerative advanced life support systems. Furthermore, introductions of plants to the surface of a partially terraformed Mars will be constrained by the limits of sustainable growth and reproduction of plants to hypobaric conditions. To explore the effects of hypobaria on plant physiology, a low-pressure growth chamber (LPGC) was constructed that maintained hypobaric environments capable of supporting short-term plant physiological studies. Experiments were conducted on Arabidopsis thaliana maintained in the LPGC with total atmospheric pressures set at 101 (Earth sea-level control), 75, 50, 25 or 10 kPa. Plants were grown in a separate incubator at 101 kPa for 6 weeks, transferred to the LPGC, and acclimated to low-pressure atmospheres for either 1 or 16 h. After 1 or 16 h of acclimation, CO(2) levels were allowed to drawdown from 0.1 kPa to CO(2) compensation points to assess P (net) rates under different hypobaric conditions. Results showed that P (net) increased as the pressures decreased from 101 to 10 kPa when CO(2) partial pressure (pp) values were below 0.04 kPa (i.e., when ppCO2 was considered limiting). In contrast, when ppCO(2) was in the nonlimiting range from 0.10 to 0.07 kPa, the P (net) rates were insensitive to decreasing pressures. Thus, if CO(2 )concentrations can be kept elevated in hypobaric plant growth modules or on the surface of a partially terraformed Mars, P (net) rates may be relatively unaffected by hypobaria. Results support the conclusions that (i) hypobaric plant growth modules might be operated around 10 kPa without undue inhibition of photosynthesis and (ii) terraforming efforts on Mars might require a surface pressure of at least 10 kPa (100 mb) for normal growth of deployed plant species.

Arabidopsis↗
PubMed2005

Isoform-specific subcellular localization among 14-3-3 proteins in Arabidopsis seems to be driven by client interactions.

In most higher eukaryotes, the predominantly phosphoprotein-binding 14-3-3 proteins are the products of a multigene family, with many organisms having 10 or more family members. However, current models for 14-3-3/phosphopeptide interactions suggest that there is little specificity among 14-3-3s for diverse phosphopeptide clients. Therefore, the existence of sequence diversity among 14-3-3s within a single organism begs questions regarding the in vivo specificities of the interactions between the various 14-3-3s and their clients. Chief among those questions is, Do the different 14-3-3 isoforms interact with different clients within the same cell? Although the members of the Arabidopsis 14-3-3 family of proteins typically contain highly conserved regions of sequence, they also display distinctive variability with deep evolutionary roots. In the current study, a survey of several Arabidopsis 14-3-3/GFP fusions revealed that 14-3-3s demonstrate distinct and differential patterns of subcellular distribution, by using trichomes and stomate guard cells as in vivo experimental cellular contexts. The effects of client interaction on 14-3-3 localization were further analyzed by disrupting the partnering with peptide and chemical agents. Results indicate that 14-3-3 localization is both isoform specific and highly dependent upon interaction with cellular clients.

14-3-3 Proteins↗
PubMed2005

Plant molecular biology in the space station era: utilization of KSC fixation tubes with RNAlater.

Spaceflight experiments involving biological specimens face unique challenges with regard to the on orbit harvest and preservation of material for later ground-based analyses. Preserving plant material for gene expression analyses requires that the tissue be prepared and stored in a manner that maintains the integrity of RNA. The liquid preservative RNAlater (Ambion) provides an effective alternative to conventional freezing strategies, which are limited or unavailable in current spaceflight experiment scenarios. The spaceflight use of RNAlater is enabled by the Kennedy space center fixation tube (KFT), hardware designed to provide the necessary containment of fixatives during the harvest and stowage of biological samples in space. Pairing RNAlater with the KFT system provides a safe and effective strategy for preserving plant material for subsequent molecular analyses, a strategy that has proven effective in several spaceflight experiments. Possible spaceflight scenarios for the use of RNAlater and KFTs are explored and discussed.

Arabidopsis↗
PubMed2003

Hypobaric biology: Arabidopsis gene expression at low atmospheric pressure.

As a step in developing an understanding of plant adaptation to low atmospheric pressures, we have identified genes central to the initial response of Arabidopsis to hypobaria. Exposure of plants to an atmosphere of 10 kPa compared with the sea-level pressure of 101 kPa resulted in the significant differential expression of more than 200 genes between the two treatments. Less than one-half of the genes induced by hypobaria are similarly affected by hypoxia, suggesting that response to hypobaria is unique and is more complex than an adaptation to the reduced partial pressure of oxygen inherent to hypobaric environments. In addition, the suites of genes induced by hypobaria confirm that water movement is a paramount issue at low atmospheric pressures, because many of gene products intersect abscisic acid-related, drought-induced pathways. A motivational constituent of these experiments is the need to address the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's plans to include plants as integral components of advanced life support systems. The design of bioregenerative life support systems seeks to maximize productivity within structures engineered to minimize mass and resource consumption. Currently, there are severe limitations to producing Earth-orbital, lunar, or Martian plant growth facilities that contain Earth-normal atmospheric pressures within light, transparent structures. However, some engineering limitations can be offset by growing plants in reduced atmospheric pressures. Characterization of the hypobaric response can therefore provide data to guide systems engineering development for bioregenerative life support, as well as lead to fundamental insights into aspects of desiccation metabolism and the means by which plants monitor water relations.

Adaptation, Physiological↗
PubMed2002

Molecular aspects of stress-gene regulation during spaceflight.

Spaceflight-associated stress has been the topic of investigation since the first terrestrial organisms were exposed to this unique environment. Organisms that evolved under the selection pressures of earth-normal environments can perceive spaceflight as a stress, either directly because gravity influences an intrinsic biological process, or indirectly because of secondary effects imparted by spaceflight upon environmental conditions. Different organisms and even different organs within an organism adapt to a spaceflight environment with a diversity of tactics. Plants are keenly sensitive to gravity for directed development, and are also sensitive to other stresses associated with closed-system spaceflight environments. Within the past decade, the tools of molecular biology have begun to provide a sophisticated evaluation of spaceflight-associated stress and the genetic responses that accompany metabolic adaptation to spaceflight.

Adaptation, Physiological↗
PubMed2002

Remote sensing of gene expression in Planta: transgenic plants as monitors of exogenous stress perception in extraterrestrial environments.

Transgenic arabidopsis plants containing the alcohol dehydrogenase (Adh) gene promoter fused to the green fluorescent protein (GFP) reporter gene were developed as biological sensors for monitoring physiological responses to unique environments. Plants were monitored in vivo during exposure to hypoxia, high salt, cold, and abcissic acid in experiments designed to characterize the utility and responses of the Adh/GFP biosensors. Plants in the presence of environmental stimuli that induced the Adh promoter responded by expressing GFP, which in turn generated a detectable fluorescent signal. The GFP signal degraded when the inducing stimulus was removed. Digital imaging of the Adh/GFP plants exposed to each of the exogenous stresses demonstrated that the stress-induced gene expression could be followed in real time. The experimental results established the feasibility of using a digital monitoring system for collecting gene expression data in real time from Transgenic Arabidopsis Gene Expression System (TAGES) biosensor plants during space exploration experiments.

Alcohol Dehydrogenase↗
PubMed2002

Plant adaptation to low atmospheric pressures: potential molecular responses.

There is an increasing realization that it may be impossible to attain Earth normal atmospheric pressures in orbital, lunar, or Martian greenhouses, simply because the construction materials do not exist to meet the extraordinary constraints imposed by balancing high engineering requirements against high lift costs. This equation essentially dictates that NASA have in place the capability to grow plants at reduced atmospheric pressure. Yet current understanding of plant growth at low pressures is limited to just a few experiments and relatively rudimentary assessments of plant vigor and growth. The tools now exist, however, to make rapid progress toward understanding the fundamental nature of plant responses and adaptations to low pressures, and to develop strategies for mitigating detrimental effects by engineering the growth conditions or by engineering the plants themselves. The genomes of rice and the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana have recently been sequenced in their entirety, and public sector and commercial DNA chips are becoming available such that thousands of genes can be assayed at once. A fundamental understanding of plant responses and adaptation to low pressures can now be approached and translated into procedures and engineering considerations to enhance plant growth at low atmospheric pressures. In anticipation of such studies, we present here the background arguments supporting these contentions, as well as informed speculation about the kinds of molecular physiological responses that might be expected of plants in low-pressure environments.

Acclimatization↗