Quantifying gene expression patterns using droplet digital PCR testing to determine the inheritance of flavonol production in Nicotiana section Polydicliae

Authors: Alyssa Perrino, Elizabeth McCarthy

SUNY Campus: SUNY Cortland

Presentation Type: Poster

Location: UU 111

Presentation #: 64

Timeslot: Session D 3:00-4:00 PM

Abstract: Pigments produced by plants are an important factor in promoting reproduction through various pollinators. Flavonols are one type of pigment created by the flavonoid biosynthetic pathway. These flavonols are kaempferol, quercetin, and myricetin. They appear colorless to humans as they are pigments that absorb UV; however, pollinators that have the UV cone, such as bees and hummingbirds, can see patterns based on flavonol pigmentation. Here, I investigate the genetic basis of the production of flavonols in Nicotiana species. Nicotiana plants can exhibit polyploidy within its species. This is where there are more than two sets of chromosomes. Nicotiana obtusifolia and N. attenuata are diploid progenitors that hybridized approximately one million years, resulting in Nicotiana section Polydicliae allopolyploids, which were speciated into N. clevelandii and N. quadrivalvis. I have developed PCR protocols to distinguish the diploid progenitor copies of flavonol genes in these polyploids. These protocols will then be used to quantify expression in droplet digital PCR testing. Specifically, I will be observing the quantity of each flavonol producing gene in the progenitors and how they vary in expression within the allopolyploids. This will reveal the relationship between expression patterns and flower pigment composition between the progenitors and polyploids.