Gibberellins (GAs) are a large family of diterpenoid compounds, some of which are plant growth hormones, controlling such diverse processes as germination, stem elongation, leaf expansion, and flower and fruit development. My laboratory is using molecular biology and genetics approaches to determine the mechanisms regulating GA biosynthesis in response to environmental stimuli and endogenous developmental signals, and to identify components involved in the GA signal transduction pathway.
We have isolated the Arabidopsis GA1 gene, which encodes a key enzyme in GA biosynthesis. The expression of the GA1 gene is highly tissue- and cell-type-specific during development. We are currently investigating the environmental regulation of this gene.
To dissect the GA signal transduction pathway genetically, we have isolated a new class of Arabidopsis mutants (RGA) that shows altered GA responses. We have cloned the RGA locus recently by genomic subtraction, and are in the process of analyzing the function of the RGA protein in GA response.
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