High School Student Blacksburg High School Blacksburg, Virginia
Body of Abstract: As the global population and food demand increase, generation of modified crops with increased yield and enhanced resistance to various stresses becomes an essential part of more sustainable and resilient agriculture practices. Plant regeneration is a critical step in the application of biotechnological approaches for crop trait improvement. However, many crop species or genotypes are recalcitrant to tissue culture. This study, using the model system Arabidopsis thaliana, intends to test the effects of the morphogenic transcription factor WUSCHEL (WUS) in enhancing plant plant regeneration efficiency. Transgenic Arabidopsis plants with the expression of WUS controlled by an Estradiol-inducible promoter were used. The Arabidopsis seeds were grown on medium with or without Estradiol. The number of shoots formed on SIM (Shoot Induction Medium) along with the growth and characteristics of the calli and plantlets were examined. A Student’s t-test was used to determine whether a statistically significant difference exists between the percentage of calli forming shoots in the absence or presence of Estradiol. Arabidopsis plantlets expressing WUS were observed to form larger and smoother calli and formed more and larger shoots but less and smaller roots than those not expressing WUS. The results indicate that the expression of WUS increases plant regeneration and could potentially be employed for other crops.