| A guard cell is a highly specialized and differentiated cell that plays an important role in plant physiology. The objective of this research is to gain a better understanding of the unique aspects of stomatal biology by identifying guard-cell-specific genes of Arabidopsis thaliana. To accomplish this I have screened 11,300 lines of enhancer-trap-tagged Arabidopsis for lines displaying reporter (GUS) expression in guard cells. I have identified several lines, including two with mutant morphological phenotypes, which display guard-cell-associated reporter expression. I have identified four genes, which may play an important role in stomatal biology. These include two transcription factors as well as two uncharacterized genes. Characterization of these genes will further our understanding of stomatal biology and may lead to the development of plants with improved drought tolerance. |
