Twin Sectors caused by Alternative Transpositions in Maize
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The Department of Genetics, Development, and Cell Biology seeks to teach subcellular and cellular processes, genome dynamics, cell structure and function, and molecular mechanisms of development, in so doing offering a Major in Biology and a Major in Genetics.
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The Department of Genetics, Development, and Cell Biology was founded in 2005.
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- College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (parent college)
- College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (parent college)
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The Symposium provides undergraduates from all academic disciplines with an opportunity to share their research with the university community and other guests through conference-style oral presentations. The Symposium represents part of a larger effort of Iowa State University to enhance, support, and celebrate undergraduate research activity.
Though coordinated by the University Honors Program, all undergraduate students are eligible and encouraged to participate in the Symposium. Undergraduates conducting research but not yet ready to present their work are encouraged to attend the Symposium to learn about the presentation process and students not currently involved in research are encouraged to attend the Symposium to learn about the broad range of undergraduate research activities that are taking place at ISU.
The first Symposium was held in April 2007. The 39 students who presented research and their mentors collectively represented all of ISU's Colleges: Agriculture and Life Sciences, Business, Design, Engineering, Human Sciences, Liberal Arts and Sciences, Veterinary Medicine, and the Graduate College. The event has grown to regularly include more than 100 students presenting on topics that span the broad range of disciplines studied at ISU.
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Abstract
During development of the maize ear, mutations may occur during cell division. These mutations can form twin sectors, or a sector of the maize ear that has a different coloration or pattern in the pericarp, seed coat, of the maize ear.
We studied the effects of Activator (Ac) transposon (a chromosomal segment that can undergo transposition) in the development of twin sectors on maize ears containing the allele P1-ovov454. This allele conditions orange-variegated pericarp and cob due to the presence of the Ac transposon in the p1 gene which controls kernel pericarp color. We screened for ears with multi-kernel dark red/orange sectors twinned with sectors of colorless pericarp. From this visual screen, we identified 6 different twin sectors on two maize ears. A series of screening PCR tests were developed to classify the type of structural changes present in each case. Then the junctions of the Ac transposon and flaking DNA were amplified by PCR and sequenced. Based on the results, we determined the structure of each new allele and proposed a mechanism of origin for most cases. Some were formed by simple Ac transposition, while others were generated by more complex recombination events.
These findings showed that twin sectors develop in parallel with adjacent sectors, in addition to demonstrating how gene structure and gene expression can be altered by the Ac transposable element during ear development.