Jun 2 2022

PhD Dissertation: Karolis Ramanauskas

June 2, 2022

10:00 AM - 11:00 AM

Location

SEL 4289

Please join us on June 2nd at 10am in SEL 4289 for "A Systematic Search for RNase-based Self-incompatibility" by Karolis Ramanauskas.

Abstract: Most flowering plant species have co-sexual individuals whose own pollen often lands on their own stigmas. And yet, approximately one half are self-incompatible—they cannot self-fertilize. Instead, individuals commonly express a genetic mechanism that sorts and deferentially rejects incoming pollen. Many mechanisms exist, but one, RNase-based self-incompatibility, is potentially widespread. Although it is found across eudicots, it has only been characterized in a handful of species in distantly related families. My work has uncovered the presence of this mechanism in at least two new flowering plant families: Cactaceae and Primulaceae. These findings yield additional evidence that the ancestor of nearly all eudicots possessed RNase-based self-incompatibility. e RNA-seq based approach and the associated bioinformatics pipeline are promising and could open doors for work on difficult species such as trees and other long-lived plants.

Contact

Emily Beaufort

Date posted

May 27, 2022

Date updated

May 27, 2022