Micaela Bowers Rose Hills
Uncovering UPM1’s role in phosphate regulation in Arabidopsis thaliana
Over the past 200 years, increased use of phosphate fertilizers has dramatically changed soil nutrient compositions in croplands, with runoff impacting natural plant populations in unexpected ways. To investigate whether natural plants are evolving in response to this environmental transformation, our lab analyzed a time-series of Arabidopsis thaliana genomes collected over the last 200 years in conjunction with historical soil nutrient estimates, and uncovered a gene associated with soil phosphorus levels: Uroporphyrinogen III Methyltransferase (UPM1). Though UPM1 has an established role in the nitrogen and sulfur status of plants, no research has examined UPM1’s role in relation to phosphorus. Given the association between UPM1 and soil phosphorus in our analysis and its role in metabolism of other nutrients, it is possible that UPM1 is a key player in adaptation to fertilizer application. In my project, I will use transgenic plants to examine whether UPM1 affects plant fitness in various phosphate conditions. This work will uncover a novel role of UPM1 in phosphate metabolism, and uncover a genetic mechanism by which plants have adapted to synthetic fertilizer application.
Message To Sponsor
Thank you so much for your support! The opportunity to do this project is incredibly meaningful to me, and allows for my continued development as a student and a scientist. Plant adaptations to changing nutrient landscapes fascinate me and I’m so grateful to be able to work full time at the Lang Lab over summer doing this research.