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SUMMARY:From Armadillos to Abscisic Acid - Juliet Coates\, Birmingham
DTSTART:20111110T160000Z
DTEND:20111110T170000Z
UID:TALK31546@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Jill Harrison
DESCRIPTION:The huge diversity of multicellular land plants we see on eart
 h today evolved from a single\, relatively simple\, ancestor around 450 mi
 llion years ago. Early-evolving land plants had to face specific challenge
 s including desiccation and gravitational forces\, and becoming multicellu
 lar was key for land plants to overcome these challenges and ultimately be
 come such a successful lineage.  To understand the molecular mechanisms en
 abling the transition to multicellularity in the plant lineage\, the Coate
 s lab uses molecular genetics to define the function of conserved proteins
  known to be involved in promoting multicellularity in animals\, fungi and
  amoebae (unikonts). One example of such proteins is the Armadillo protein
  family\, which plays fundamental roles in both cell differentiation and c
 ell architecture/adhesion in unikonts.  We have characterised Armadillo pr
 otein function both in a complex flowering plant\, Arabidopsis thaliana\, 
 and in an early-evolving land plant\, the moss Physcomitrella patens. We s
 uggest that plant Armadillo proteins have conserved fundamental function(s
 ) common to all land plants\, including during responses to a hormone\, Ab
 scisic Acid (ABA)\, found in many kingdoms. In addition\, plant Armadillo 
 proteins have also acquired novel\, ABA-independent developmental function
 s during the evolution of more complex body plans. 
LOCATION:Department of Plant Sciences\, Large Lecture Theatre
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