Student University of Vermont Thomaston, Connecticut
Body of Abstract: The LATD/NIP gene of Medicago truncatula plays a vital role in the development of nodules and root architecture, yet not much is known about its regulation. latd mutant plants have defective nodule and root development, both of which are fully complemented by the LATD/NIP gene containing 1.9kb upstream and three introns. However, when transformed with the same construct lacking the introns, although the latd root defects are complemented, no nodules form. To investigate the potential regulatory role of introns, I designed and constructed three hybrid versions of the LATD/NIP gene, using Intron 2, the largest intron, as a test case. One construct tested whether Intron 2 is sufficient to return the latd mutant phenotype to wild-type, one tested whether Intron 2 is necessary, and the last tested whether the presence of an intron is required regardless of its sequence. Expressing these three constructs in both wild-type and latd mutant plants, I investigated the role of Intron 2 in regulation of LATD/NIP function in nodulation. I found that Intron 2 is sufficient for full rescue of the latd mutant phenotype, conferring the ability to develop mature nodules.