Dr. Andy Pereira will be exhibiting for KTU on March 28th!

Exhibitor title- The Secrets of mutants

Exhibitor abstract- Mutants are different because they have a mutation or change in their DNA which makes them look different from others of their type. We have made a collection of plant mutants, each having a mutation in a different gene. The mutants you will see have changes in the different plant parts, some of them useful to the plant, while others are not so useful. These mutants look different in many different ways, showing a large diversity of genetic variation. Such genetic variation is found in nature, from which certain plant types are selected that are adapted to different environmental conditions such as drought, cold and high temperature. This natural genetic variation has also been used by humans to select for favorable plant types, which make up our food grains, vegetables and fruits. In this rich genetic variation of mutants lies the secret for selecting and improving plants for human needs.
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Laboratory of Andy Pereira, Virginia Bioinformatics Institute, Virginia Tech.

The laboratory studies plant responses to environmental stresses such as drought. The model plants Arabidopsis and rice are analyzed in a systems biology view, to understand common drought response and resistance mechanisms between diverse plant types. Mutants are used to discover plants which are resistant to drought stress and understand the physiological and gene regulatory mechanisms involved. The longer term goals are to be able to develop crop plants which can grow with less water and under drought stress, since fresh water is becoming scarce due to climatic change and human population needs. In addition the laboratory searches new genetic variation for improved bioenergy feedstocks for bioethanol and biodiesel productions. The systematic analysis of gene interaction networks involved in the different biological processes provide a deeper understanding and prediction of gene functions for plant improvement.