1987 — 1990 |
Grun, Paul Kao, Teh-Hui |
N/AActivity Code Description: No activity code was retrieved: click on the grant title for more information |
Molecular Basis of Gametophytic Self-Incompatibility System in Petunia and Solanum @ Pennsylvania State Univ University Park |
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1990 — 1993 |
Kao, Teh-Hui Flores, Hector (co-PI) [⬀] Flores, Hector (co-PI) [⬀] |
N/AActivity Code Description: No activity code was retrieved: click on the grant title for more information |
Molecular Basis of Gametophytic Self-Incompatibility in Nicotiana and Petunia @ Pennsylvania State Univ University Park
The proposed project is to study the functional aspects of pistil S-proteins and regulation of S-gene expression in gametophytic self-incompatibility. Using Nicotiana alata and Petunia inflata, Dr. Kao will 1) establish direct evidence that S-proteins are responsible for the self-incompatibility reaction by testing the effect on self-incompatibility behavior of introducing either a new S-gene into plants homozygous for a different S-allele, or an antisense S-gene into plants homozygous for the same S-allele; 2) identify the s-allele specificity domain of the S-protein by using chimeric S-proteins expressed in transgenic plants; 3) test the effect of mutating the conserved cysteine residues of S- proteins on their function; 4) determine the sequences controlling tissue specific and developmentally regulated expression of S-genes by fusing their 5' upstream sequences to a reporter gene, GUS, and then using sequential deletion to test the effect on expression of GUS in transgenic plants; 5) identify a protein associated with the style activity part of the S-locus using a unique self-compatible style-part mutant of N. alata. The result of these experiment will yield important information on the molecular basis of self-incompatibility. %%% Many higher plants have a mechanism, termed self-incompatibility, with prevents the pollen from a given plant from self fertilizing the female tissue (pistil) of the same plant. Genes controlling this self- incompatibility have been identified but the mechanism whereby the incompatibility occurs is unknown. In addition to its inherent interest to plant biologists, there are clear applications to agriculture to an understanding of this process.
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1991 — 1992 |
Kao, Teh-Hui Schaeffer, Stephen [⬀] |
N/AActivity Code Description: No activity code was retrieved: click on the grant title for more information |
Molecular Evolution of Self Incompatibility in Plants @ Pennsylvania State Univ University Park
Organisms can become resistant to new diseases or utilize a new food source as a result of diversity in their genetic material which serves as raw material for the evolutionary process. Many mechanisms exist to increase or decrease the amounts of genetic diversity. Inbreeding, a mating system where closely related individuals mate to produce offspring, can reduce genetic variation in natural populations by increasing the probability that genes are identical by descent. In plants, inbreeding can lead to short-lived plants and reduced crop yields when the identical genes are lethal genes. As a result, some plants have evolved a self-incompatibility mechanism that prevents self-fertilization and the harmful effects of inbreeding. In many species of plants, the self-incompatibility function is encoded by a single gene. The self-incompatibility gene can not only increase genetic variation at the locus that encodes it but may also increase diversity of genes located nearby. The main objective of this research is to study variation of nucleotide sequences of the self-incompatibility locus of Solanum carolinense, the horse nettle, in order to determine the impact that the self-incompatibility mechanism has on this unique genetic locus and on nearby nucleotide sites.
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1993 — 1997 |
Kao, Teh-Hui |
N/AActivity Code Description: No activity code was retrieved: click on the grant title for more information |
Molecular Genetic Basis of Self-Incompatibility in Petunia @ Pennsylvania State Univ University Park
Self-incompatible Petunia inflata and a self-compatible cultivar of Petunia hybrida will be used as model systems in an ongoing study of the molecular, biochemical, and genetic bases of gametophytic self-incompatibility. The first objective is to provide direct evidence for the role of the S-gene (the gene encoding the pistil S-protein) in the recognition and rejection of self pollen. Two approaches will be taken: a) transgenic P. inflata plants obtained by introducing S1-gene into S3S3 genotype, and S3-gene into S1S1 genotype, will be tested to see whether the ability to reject pollen bearing S1-allele and S3-allele respectively has been conferred by the transgenes; b) antisense S1-gene will be introduced into P. inflata plants with S1S3 genotype to see whether the ability to reject S1-bearing pollen is annulled in the transgenic plants. The second objective is to determine the regulatory sequences for the pistil-specific expression of the S- gene and rnx2 gene (encoding RNase X2) by examining the expression of a series of promoter-GUS constructs via transient assays and in stable transformants. The third objective is to identify and characterize other components that participate in self- incompatibility interactions. PCR techniques will be used to investigate whether the S-gene is expressed in pollen during its growth in situ. Chromosome walking experiments will be used to identify sequences linked to the S-gene that might encode other components of the self-incompatibility system. An approach based on immunoprecipitation will be used to examine whether pollinated pistils contain any proteins that interact with S-proteins. These experiments may lead to identification of the long sought pollen component of the S-locus. The fourth and final objective is to determine the genetic basis for the breakdown of self- incompatibility in the self-compatible cultivar of P. hybrida. Genetic crosses have been designed to test a model implicating a modifier locus in the modulation of S-alleles activity in self- incompatibility interactions.
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1994 — 1995 |
Stephenson, Andrew (co-PI) [⬀] Shannon, Jack Kao, Teh-Hui |
N/AActivity Code Description: No activity code was retrieved: click on the grant title for more information |
Financial Support For the 9th Annual Penn State Symposium Inplant Physiology @ Pennsylvania State Univ University Park
This proposal requests support for a portion of the travel costs of speakers invited to participate in the 9th Annual Penn State Symposium in Plant Physiology to be held May 19- 21, 1994, in State College, Pennsylvania. The topic for 1994 is "Pollen-pistil interactions". This symposium will bring together outstanding scientists who will provide critical analyses and syntheses of recent research concerning the development of pollen and pistils, pollen- stigma interactions (e.g., the nature of the pollen coat and sporophytic self-incompatibility), the mechanisms of growth in pollen tubes and analagous systems such as root hairs and fungal hyphae, pollen-style interactions (e.g., post- pollination signaling and gametophytic self- incompatibility), pollen selection (non-random fertilization) and the processes of fertilization. This topic is of tremendous interest to both basic and applied plant scientists. One of the goals for this symposium is to foster interaction and communication among scientists of all ranks working in academia, government and industry spanning the spectrum from basic to applied research.
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1997 — 2006 |
Kao, Teh-Hui |
N/AActivity Code Description: No activity code was retrieved: click on the grant title for more information |
Molecular Basis of Self-Incompatibility in Petunia @ Pennsylvania State Univ University Park
IBN-9982659 PI: Teh-hui Kao
Petunia inflata possesses gametophytic type self-incompatibility which is controlled by a polymorphic locus, the S-locus. Matching of S-alleles carried by the pollen and pistil results in inhibition of pollen tube growth in the style. A polymorphic gene at the S-locus, termed the S-RNase gene, that controls pistil function in SI has been identified. However, the gene that controls pollen function in SI interactions, termed the pollen S-gene, has not been identified.
The goal of this proposed project is to use a functional genomic approach to identify the pollen S-gene of P. inflata. Obj. I is to use 14 cDNA markers for the S-locus and the S-RNase gene as probes to isolate clones from an S2S2 BAC library already contsructed. Obj. II is to construct a BAC library of the S1S1 genotype and use the same probes employed in Obj. I to isolate positive clones. Obj. III is to characterize all the BAC clones isolated in Obj. I and II by pulse-field gel electrophoresis and fluorescence in situ hybridization to determine any overlap between them, to order them at the S-locus, and to estimate the size of the gaps between them. Additional clones will be isolated from both BAC libraries to cover as extensively as possible the entire S-locus. Obj. IV is to introduce all the BAC clones separately into P. inflata plants of S1S2 genotype to determine whether any of them contains the pollen S-gene. If a BAC clone contains the pollen S2-gene, a quarter of the pollen grains produced by a transgenic plant will carry the pollen S1-allele and the pollen S2-transgene, and they will be compatible with S1S2 pistils due to competitive interaction. Transgenic plants that have become self-compatible will be studied to identify the transgene that is responsible for the phenotype. The function of the candidate(s) for the pollen S-gene will be further ascertained by loss-of-function experiments.
Accomplishment of this proposed research will advance the understanding of an RNase-based self/non-self recognition mechanism. The BAC clones isolated can be used for studying the functions of additional S-locus genes, and for comparative study of the S-locus of two different S-haplotypes, S1 and S2. On the practical side, one can explore the possibility of restoring the SI trait to self-compatible cultivated species to facilitate hybrid seed production. If successful, this will have a very important agronomic impact.
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2002 — 2003 |
Stephenson, Andrew (co-PI) [⬀] Kao, Teh-Hui Depamphilis, Claude (co-PI) [⬀] Ma, Hong [⬀] |
N/AActivity Code Description: No activity code was retrieved: click on the grant title for more information |
Symposium: Plant Reproduction: From Evolutionary and Physiological Analyses to Molecular and Cellular Studies; May 16-18, 2002; State College, Pennsylvania @ Pennsylvania State Univ University Park
0131384 Ma We are seeking support for the travel costs of speakers invited to participate in the 17th Penn State Symposium in Plant Physiology to be held May 16-18, 2002 in State College, Pennsylvania. This symposium is entitled "Plant reproduction: from evolutionary and physiological analyses to molecular and cellular studies." Plant reproductive biology has been a subject of great interest and intrigue for many generations. In recent years, there have been very rapid advances in our understanding of plant development not only from molecular genetic studies, but also from evolutionary and physiological analyses. The goal of this meeting is to provide an interdisciplinary forum for leading researchers working in diverse areas of plant reproductive biology to present their recent findings, to share their ideas, and to stimulate each other in discussions. The symposium will bring together about 20 outstanding scientists from around the world, many of whom do not regularly attend the same meetings because of their wide-ranging specialties. In addition to the invited talks, we anticipate having approximately 50 contributed posters summarizing current research by scientists, postdoctoral researchers, and graduate students. The results presented at the symposium will be summarized in a meeting report to be published by one of the leading plant journals. This symposium will provide a valuable service to the research community. We are not aware of any other symposia that have considered this topic in such an integrated and comprehensive manner. By bringing together scientists using different approaches to study the problems in plant reproduction, the symposium will facilitate novel collaborations and experimental approaches, and will further stimulate progress in this fast advancing and growing field.
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2006 |
Kao, Teh-Hui Assmann, Sarah [⬀] Ma, Hong (co-PI) [⬀] Bevilacqua, Philip (co-PI) [⬀] |
N/AActivity Code Description: No activity code was retrieved: click on the grant title for more information |
The 16th Penn State Plant Physiology Symposium: Rna Biology - Novel Insights From Plant Systems to Be Held May 18-20, 2006 At Pennsylvania State University @ Pennsylvania State Univ University Park
The 16th Penn State Symposium in Plant Physiology, entitled "RNA Biology: Novel Insights from Plant Systems," will be held on May 18th-20th, 2006, at Pennsylvania State University. The field of RNA biology has experienced enormous growth in recent years, and plant biologists have been at the forefront of many of the important discoveries in this field. The Symposium program has been designed to bring together plant biologists in the RNA field, key scientists who study RNA function in non-plant systems, and RNA chemists. The Symposium will thus facilitate interactions and foster collaborations between plant biologists and other RNA biologists and chemists. In addition, the Symposium will provide educational and training opportunities for students and young scientists. Through press releases prepared by the Penn State Eberly College of Science Office of Information, information from the symposium will be disseminated to the general public.
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2006 — 2010 |
Kao, Teh-Hui |
N/AActivity Code Description: No activity code was retrieved: click on the grant title for more information |
The Role of the S-Locus F-Box Gene in S-Rnase-Based Self-Incompatibility @ Pennsylvania State Univ University Park
Self-incompatibility (SI) allows pistils of flowering plants to reject self-pollen to prevent inbreeding, and to accept non-self pollen to promote outcrossing. How the pistil distinguishes between self- and non-self pollen, and how the pistil rejects self-pollen have been under intensive investigation for many decades. Petunia inflata, a wild relative of garden petunia, will be used as a model to address these questions in one type of the SI mechanism. Here, the S-RNase gene expressed in the pistil, and the PiSLF (P. inflata S-locus F-box) gene expressed in the pollen determine the outcome of pollination. In this project, molecular genetic and biochemical approaches will be used to study the biochemical properties of PiSLF, and to determine how one allelic variant of PiSLF interacts differently with its self and non-self S-RNases to result in specific growth inhibition of self-pollen tubes. The results will advance understanding of the long-standing questions about the mechanism of SI, as well as of self/non-self discrimination mechanisms in other biological systems. Since many F-box proteins are involved in mediating protein degradation, this work will also contribute to understanding cellular and developmental processes in other organisms in which F-box proteins are involved. SI has potential commercial applications in hybrid seed production, an important agricultural practice for producing plants of higher vigor and higher yield. Understanding the SI mechanism could make it feasible to restore the SI trait back to crop species to facilitate hybrid seed production. If this can be accomplished, it will have tremendous agronomic benefits. This project will be entirely carried out by graduate and undergraduate students, providing them training in plant reproductive biology and experience in the design and execution of experiments that will be valuable for their future research careers.
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2009 — 2017 |
Kao, Teh-Hui |
N/AActivity Code Description: No activity code was retrieved: click on the grant title for more information |
Biochemical Basis of S-Rnase-Based Self-Incompatibility @ Pennsylvania State Univ University Park
Most flowering plants produce complete flowers, with anthers and pistil located in close proximity. This arrangement is conducive to self-pollination, which leads to inbreeding and consequent reduced fitness in progeny. Many flowering plants have adopted self-incompatibility (SI) to circumvent the tendency for inbreeding. This genetic trait allows the pistil to reject self-pollen but accept non-self pollen for fertilization. The PI is using Petunia inflata as a model to study SI, with the ultimate goal of understanding how the pistil can distinguish self and non-self pollen, and how this recognition leads to specific rejection of self-pollen. His group previously identified the S-RNase gene as responsible for the pistil's ability to recognize and reject self-pollen. The PI's group, along with Dr. Seiji Takayama's group in Japan, found that pollen employs multiple S-locus F-box (SLF) genes in its SI function. In this project, the PI will use molecular approaches to test the collaborative non-self-recognition model that explains how multiple SLF proteins interact with a single S-RNase to allow non-self pollen tubes, but not self pollen tubes, to escape its toxic effect. The results obtained will lead to a better understanding of the interactions between these proteins that underlie this important inbreeding-preventing mechanism. This proposed research has wider implications for the self/non-self recognition process, a fundamental process in biology, as well as for studying protein degradation, a key regulatory mechanism in many biological processes. The SLF and S-RNase genes could be used to facilitate hybrid-seed production, and if accomplished, this will have tremendous agronomic benefits. The PI will engage four graduate and five to six undergraduate students in this project to prepare them for future careers in research, and will continue to participate in an annual biology fair at Penn State to educate the public, particularly K-12, about plant reproductive biology and SI.
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2011 — 2012 |
Kao, Teh-Hui Depamphilis, Claude (co-PI) [⬀] Ma, Hong (co-PI) [⬀] Carlson, John (co-PI) [⬀] Carlson, John (co-PI) [⬀] Axtell, Michael |
N/AActivity Code Description: No activity code was retrieved: click on the grant title for more information |
Conference: the 18th Penn State Plant Biology Symposium: Plant Evolutionary Genetics and Genomics to Be Held May 19-21, 2011 in University Park, Pa @ Pennsylvania State Univ University Park
Intellectual Merit: Rapid advances in technology are fundamentally altering the biological sciences. Once relegated to extremely expensive and ponderously slow "Big Science" projects, the sequencing, assembly, and annotation of large genomes, such as those found in plants, is increasingly becoming the province of smaller, less expensive consortia. Full inventories of expressed genes can now be obtained for any organism at very modest cost. This "genomics revolution" is touching all aspects of biology, not the least, the study of plant biology. With the increasing ease of obtaining genomic data, the focus must now turn to producing information from the data and synthesizing approaches from sub-disciplines which have historically operated separately. In particular, a detailed understanding of genome evolution, not just individual genes, is becoming an attainable goal. Correlating these molecular data with physiological responses, ecosystem interactions, and crop productivity is a major scientific goal. Towards this end, the 18th Penn State Symposium in Plant Biology: Plant Evolutionary Genetics and Genomics will be held May 18-21, 2011 at Penn State's University Park campus. This meeting will bring together both leading scientists and early-career researchers to exchange results and develop collaborations in this rapidly evolving field. The symposium is the 18th in a very successful series of Plant Physiology / Plant Biology Symposia, which have been held at Penn State since 1986.
Broader Impacts: This meeting will provide critical educational opportunities to undergraduate students, graduate students, post-doctoral researchers, and to early-career faculty members in the following ways: 1) Several speakers will be invited to deliver short talks based upon the quality of submitted poster abstracts. These decisions will emphasize inclusion of early-career faculty members and members of groups under-represented in American science. 2) Travel awards to offset costs of attendance to the meeting will be distributed to select attendees, based upon demonstrated need and upon other factors, with a preference towards undergraduates at small, non-research intensive colleges/universities. 3) Ample time in the symposium schedule will be "unstructured" time at poster sessions and in proximity to refreshments. This arrangement allows maximum interaction between students and the cadre of distinguished scientists serving as plenary speakers. In addition, it is important to note that the topic of our symposium is in a critical area of current science: Increased understanding of plant genetics and genomics may play a key role in the development of a sustainable biofuels industry in the United States and world-wide.
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2015 — 2016 |
Kao, Teh-Hui Guiltinan, Mark (co-PI) [⬀] Assmann, Sarah [⬀] Chen, Sixue (co-PI) [⬀] Maximova, Siela (co-PI) [⬀] |
N/AActivity Code Description: No activity code was retrieved: click on the grant title for more information |
Conference: the 20th Penn State Plant Biology Symposium: Plant Stress-Omics in a Changing Climate to Be Held At Penn State University, College Park, Pa From May 13-16, 2015 @ Pennsylvania State Univ University Park
The 20th Penn State plant Biology Symposium will focus on the important topic of "Plant Stress-Omics in a Changing Climate". Plenary sessions are focused on water and salinity, atmosphere (temperature, CO2, ozone), biotic/abiotic interactions and the use of novel tools. The conference is held at Penn State University, University Park takes place May 13-16, 2015. There will be two formal poster and two short talk sessions to feature research from talented junior scientists. The conference includes an impressive cadre of US and international speakers. The organizing committee and speaker list seems balanced in terms of broadening participation.
The workshop addresses an important topic in Plant Biology, namely how plants deal with increasing environmental stresses. Particularly noteworthy is a planned workshop preceding the meeting to provide training in novel mass spectrometric methods. These methods are necessary to determine metabolomics changes in response to various environmental stresses. The meeting is an ideal forum for students and postdocs to identify future mentors, and for established scientists to forge meaningful collaborations.
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2017 — 2021 |
Kao, Teh-Hui |
N/AActivity Code Description: No activity code was retrieved: click on the grant title for more information |
Molecular, Biochemical, and Structural Studies of the Mechanism of S-Rnase-Based Self-Incompatibility in Petunia @ Pennsylvania State Univ University Park
Most flowering plants produce flowers with the male reproductive organ, the anther, and female reproductive organ, the pistil, located in close proximity. This arrangement would allow the pollen produced by the anther to land on the top of the pistil to result in self-pollination and consequent inbreeding. Inbreeding is deleterious to any organism, as it causes reduced fitness in progeny. Flowering plants have adopted self-incompatibility (SI), which allows the pistil to reject self-pollen to prevent inbreeding, but accept non-self pollen to promote outcrossing. Since Charles Darwin first documented this phenomenon in a monograph published in 1876, SI has attracted the interest of a wide spectrum of biologists. The PI has identified a pistil protein and 17 pollen proteins that are key players in mediating SI in Petunia inflata, a wild relative of garden petunia. In this project, the PI and his collaborator will use a combination of molecular, biochemical, genetic, genomic, and structural approaches to determine how the 17 pollen proteins and a single pistil protein work together to allow the pistil to specifically reject self-pollen. The results have wider implications for the study of many other biological systems employing self/non-self recognition. The genes for these proteins could be used to facilitate hybrid-seed production, which, if accomplished, would provide tremendous agronomic benefits. The PI will engage graduate and undergraduate students in this project to prepare them for future research careers, and will offer summer research opportunity for high school students through Penn State's Upward Bound Math and Science Program.
In S-RNase-based self-incompatibility in Petunia inflata, the polymorphic S-locus controls the outcome of pollination; matching of the pollen S-haplotype with either S-haplotype of the pistil results in growth inhibition of pollen tubes. The PI has shown that the S-RNase gene controls pistil specificity and identified 17 S-locus F-box (SLF) genes in S2-haplotype that collectively control pollen specificity. In this project, the PI will complete the determination of 187 interaction relationships between all 17 SLF proteins and 11 allelic variants of S-RNase. These results will be used to study the biochemical basis of differential interactions between SLF proteins and S-RNases, and select SLF/S-RNase pairs for X-ray structural study of the interactions. Bacterial Artificial Chromosome (BAC) clones collectively containing the S-RNase and 17 SLF genes have been isolated, sequenced, and assembled, totaling ~3.1 Mbp. To fill gaps in the S-locus sequence, additional BAC clones will be isolated and sequenced. The PI has shown that all 17 SLF proteins form similar SCF complexes, but the Cullin1 and Skp1 components (PiCUL1-P and PiSSK1) are pollen-specific. The effect of knockout and suppressed expression of PiCUL1-P and PiSSK1 will be examined, and the X-ray structure of the SCFSLF complex will be determined. The PI has found that SLF proteins themselves are subject to ubiquitin-mediated degradation by the 26S proteasome, and identified proteins that may be involved in regulating the dynamics of the SCFSLF complex. The role of these proteins will be examined. All X-ray crystallization experiments will be performed in the lab of the collaborator.
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