The Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry South Dakota State University Presents The Robert H.

& Katherine Burris Distinguished Lecture Series in Plant Biochemistry

DR. ERIK NIELSEN

Associate Professor, Department of Molecular, Cell & Developmental Biology University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

THE CHANGING ROLES OF MODERN AGRICULTURE A NEED FORA NEW "GREEN REVOLUTION"
Today, in 2014, the world's population stands at 7.2 billion, and by 2050 this is predicted to increase to 9.3 billion. While the world population is ever increasing, land availability for crop production is limited, and the majority of productive farmland is already in use. Meeting the challenge of feeding an increasing world population will require continued development and improvement of crops, both those with improved yields as well as those with enhanced stress tolerance which can grow in marginal lands not currently used for farming. In addition to these needs, it is likely that plants will increasingly be utilized for the generation of biofuels and plantderived chemicals for non-food uses. Strategies employed to develop these new improved varieties increasingly rely on our understanding of the molecular processes by which plants grow and respond to their environment.

Location: SDSU Art Museum, Room 102, April 29, 2014, 5.30 pm with refreshment (5 pm)

The Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry South Dakota State University Presents The Robert H. & Katherine Burris Distinguished Lecture Series in Plant Biochemistry
DR. ERIK NIELSEN

Associate Professor, Department of Molecular, Cell & Developmental Biology University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

THE ROLES OF CSLD PROTEINS DURING POLARIZED CELL WALL DEPOSITION IN ARABIDOPSIS Plant cell expansion is governed by the deposition of new cell wall components, and cellulose microfibrils, the major load bearing components in plant cell walls, are deposited along one or more entire faces of a cell during diffuse growth by cellulose synthase (CESA) proteins. In cells undergoing tip growth, newly synthesized cell wall polysaccharides are deposited in a highly restricted region, a process which relies on CSLD proteins, a family of proteins which are distinct from, but share similarity to CESA proteins. Here we show that csld5 mutant phenotypes are associated with cell division defects in diverse Arabidopsis organs and tissues, and we also show that fluorescently-tagged CSLD2/3/5 proteins localize to newlyforming cell plates in dividing cells. Taken together, these results indicate that, in addition to their roles in cell wall deposition in tip-growing cells, CSLD proteins also function during phragmoplast formation in non-tip growing cells undergoing cell division.

Location: Rotunda A, April 30, 2014, 12.0 pm