Connecticut, USA
August 11, 2015
Most people don’t think of plants when they think of stem cell research. But plants do indeed have stem cells, and that’s what Huanzhong Wang (pictured), assistant professor in the Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture, is studying.
Wang, who is in his fourth year in the College, investigates how plants regulate their stem cells to produce cell walls. Recently, he was awarded an NSF CAREER award, a prestigious grant that provides major support to promising young faculty in the sciences. Wang’s award is funding research on a newly identified protein in plants that plays a crucial role in regulating biomass accumulation and stem cell proliferation. A strong supporter of hands-on science education, Wang plans to engage graduate students, undergraduate students and high school students–particularly underrepresented minority students–as research assistants on his project. Wang’s research also has the potential for broader impacts, perhaps providing insight into plant productivity and biofuel production and inspiring further stem cell research.
Wang, who has been involved in plant stem cell research for several years, knows that the NSF award is an exciting new step in his career. Awarded in June, the grant will continue over five years, when it is expected by NSF to total $784,215, a larger amount than is usually awarded. NSF’s CAREER award is designed to support “the early career-development activities of those teacher-scholars who most effectively integrate research and education within the context of the mission of their organization.” It is a highly competitive award and the first one received by any College faculty member. “I am extremely honored to get this award,” says Wang. Richard McAvoy, head of the Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture, adds that Wang has a bright future and that the award is an important contribution to the department, College and University.
Wang’s new project begins with what he believes is an exciting new kind of mutant plant that offers insight into how plants produce the cells that specialize into cell walls. Developing mutant plants is a common procedure for genetic researchers who want to learn about the activity of genes that are sequenced but whose function are still unknown. In order to understand the functions of these genes, researchers activate or knock out different genes and then observe the phenotypic traits of the resulting mutants, looking for any interesting characteristics.
In developing and analyzing over 12,000 mutant specimens, Wang’s group identified one as xvp-d. The xvp-d mutant is interesting because it showed developmental defects in the way stem cells differentiated into xylem and phloem, the two tissues that transport water and nutrients inside a plant. In the xvp-d mutant, stem cells prematurely differentiated into xylem and overall, there were far fewer xylem cells in xvp-d than in the unmodified plant. In addition, xylem and phloem cells were interspersed, a symptom of disorganized tissue structure.
The mutation occurs as the result of an overexpressed gene that’s now being called XVP. XVP encodes for a protein of the same name, which, among other functions, modifies genes that regulate xylem differentiation, producing the defective xylem pattern in the mutant. When Wang repressed rather than overexpressed XVP, he saw additional cell proliferation in the cambium, the tissue between xylem and phloem in plants. That means more biomass for a plant with repressed XVP.
Wang’s work has direct applications to agriculture and energy. Wang says that biomass production has become an important research topic in plant biology. Growing bigger and stronger crops can mean plants are less likely to fall over, leading to more successful agricultural production. In addition, biomass can be converted into biofuel, making it an important product for the renewable energy sector. Wang also thinks that his research may be applicable to other stem cell projects, possibly in humans and animals.
What makes Wang’s project especially unique is his commitment to communities outside UConn. Wang currently collaborates with teachers at Windham High School, where biotechnology is being taught in an Early College Experience course. He is working now to integrate a stem cell lab module into the course and plans to recruit interested high school students into his lab, where they will help run experiments and learn advanced biological and genetic techniques. He hopes the rest of his lab will be made up of underrepresented minority students from UConn.
“We have a mission [at UConn] to promote science to the community,” Wang reflects. “The reason I’m really targeting minority students: they are underrepresented in science majors and need those opportunities.” Ultimately, Wang hopes the project will bring minority students closer to real research.
Wang’s research lies on the cutting-edge of biotechnology, but he also believes this project is going back to basics about the fundamental biological functions of plants. Around 450 million years ago, plants first started to move out of the ocean onto land. But plants, not originally adapted to be landlubbers, ran into several problems: They had to find a way to retain water, to reach light from above, to transfer mineral nutrients upwards against gravity, and for fear of falling over, to retain structural integrity in their cell wall. It’s how plants do this effectively that interests Wang. His research into XVP is sure to give additional insight into the molecular mechanisms behind some of these basic biological functions.
By Michael Clausen
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