ORCID
http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3749-7324
Date of Award
Spring 5-15-2019
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Degree Type
Dissertation
Abstract
In plant systems, genetic and biochemical pathways impact uptake of elements from the soil. These environment-sensitive pathways often act in the root tissue to impact element concentrations throughout the plant. In order to characterize element regulation as well as apply ionomics to understand plant adaptation, perspectives are needed from multiple tissues and environments and from approaches that take interactions between elements into account. The work described in this thesis includes multi-environment and multi-tissue experiments that connect variation in genetic sequence, and in gene expression, with variation in element accumulation. The associations found here include those that are sensitive to environment, reflecting the complex environmental influence on the ionome, as well as those that exhibit consistent effects across different environments. A variety of statistical tools were employed to model genetic by environment interactions and test methodologies that can be applied to future studies of the ionome with more in-depth environmental data. Genetic loci with strong effects on elements across environments were further explored using root-based gene expression data, which identified candidate genes and gene networks underlying element accumulation. Additional research on these candidate genes has the potential to improve our understanding of the genetic basis of homeostatic processes that involve the ionome, as well as isolate targets for genetic modification or selective breeding that can enhance nutritional content and adaptive capacity of crops.
Language
English (en)
Chair and Committee
Ivan Baxter
Committee Members
Barak Cohen, Heather Lawson, Blake Meyers, Kenneth Olsen,
Recommended Citation
Asaro, Alexandra, "A Combinatorial Approach of Ionomics, Quantitative Trait Locus Mapping, and Transcriptome Analysis to Characterize Element Homeostasis in Maize" (2019). Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 1761.
https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/art_sci_etds/1761
Comments
Permanent URL: https://doi.org/10.7936/5ssn-8447