Investigating Early Land Plant Cuticular Wax Biosynthesis

The plant cuticle is an essential extracellular structure required for plant survival on land. It forms a seal over the aerial plant surfaces providing protection against biotic and abiotic stress. It controls water exchange between the plant and its environment and reduces the risk of infection and herbivory. Cuticle structure, composition and biosynthesis are well studied in flowering plants, but this is not the case in early land plants, such as the moss Physcomitrella. patens. The proposed research will establish the role of important wax biosynthetic enzymes of P. patens and shed light on whether their function is conserved between the early land plant representative P. patens and the flowering plant Arabidopsis thaliana. This work will enhance our overall understanding of cuticular wax biosynthesis and identify key genes for genetic engineering of wax composition and wax load to improve tolerance of crop plants to adverse growth conditions.

Faculty Supervisor:

Ljerka Kunst

Student:

Partner:

Georg-August-Universität Göttingen

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Education

University:

The University of British Columbia

Program: