Characterisation of polysaccharide modifications in Arabidopsis seed mucilage arising from a naturally occurring mutation

On imbibition, the epidermal cells of the Arabidopsis seed coat release a halo of polysaccharide mucilage. The hydrated polysaccharides form a viscous and hydrophilic envelope that might participate in seed dispersion or control germination. At the present time, very few genes involved in the regulation and synthesis of mucilage are known and its physiological role remains to be confirmed. In addition, seed mucilage is a model system for the study of polysaccharide structure-function relationships. In order to identify new elements required for the formation of mucilage producing cells and polysaccharide biosynthesis, a screen was carried out for natural mutants in a collection of Arabidopsis accessions. Several accessions were identified that were affected in mucilage liberation and their characterisation has already led to the identification of two novel genes. The proposed subject will concern the identification and functional analysis of the gene affected in a further accession.

PhD subject IJPB 2011 from research group Germination physiology