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Patrick Masson

Professor of Genetics

Lab Home Page:

Masson Lab

Address:

3262 Genetics/Biotech

Telephone:

265-2312

Email:

phmasson@wisc.edu

Research Fields:

Molecular Genetics

Genomics

Plant Genetics

Research Interests

Molecular genetics of root growth behavior in Arabidopsis thaliana

Research Description

Roots’ primary functions are to take up the water and mineral ions required for plant growth and development, and to anchor the plant to its substratum. Because a plant spends its entire life cycle where it germinated, its roots have to colonize the soil in order to feed the plant without depleting its immediate environment of essential nutrients. They do so by developing specific patterns of growth which are dictated by environmental parameters. Hence, roots are capable of using the directional information provided by the gravity vector, light, touch, gradients in temperature, humidity, ions, chemicals and oxygen to guide their growth. My laboratory is using molecular genetic strategies in Arabidopsis thaliana to study the molecular mechanisms that allows roots to adopt specific growth behaviors in response to the mechanical parameters (gravity, touch) present in their environment.

When Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings grow on the surface of tilted agar-based media, their roots develop a wavy pattern of growth in response to a combination of gravity and touch stimulation. Mutations have been identified that affect the shape of these root waves, eliminate them or convert them into coils (’pig tails’). The molecular genetic and physiological analysis of these mutant lines reveals that the mutations affect genes that are important for root gravitropism (tendency to grow parallel to the gravity vector), or for the control of cellular expansion, a fundamental regulatory process in plant growth and development.

Representative Publications

• Boonsirichai K, Sedbrook JC, Chen R, Gilroy S, Masson P.H. 2003. ARG1 Is a Peripheral Membrane Protein that Modulates Gravity-Induced Cytoplasmic Alkalinization and Lateral Auxin Transport in Plant Statocytes. Plant Cell 15:2612-2665.
• Guan, C., Rosen, E.S., Boonsirichai, K., Poff, K.L., Masson, P.H. 2003. The ARG1-LIKE2 Gene of Arabidopsis Functions in a Gravity Signal Transduction Pathway that is Genetically Distinct from the PGM Pathway. Plant Physiology 133:100-112.
• Yuen, C.Y.L., Pearlman, R.S., Silo-Suh, L., Hilson, P., Carroll, K.L., Masson, P.H. 2003. WVD2 and WDL1 Modulate Helical Organ Growth and Anisotropic Cell Expansion in Arabidopsis. Plant Physiology 131:493-506.
• Blancaflor, E., Masson, P.H. 2003. Update on Gravitropism: Unraveling the Ups and Downs of a Complex Process. Plant Physiology 133:1677-1690.
• Peer, W.A., Bandyopadhyay, A., Blakeslee, J.J., Makam, S.N., Chen, R.J., Masson, P.H., Murphy, A.S. 2004. Variation in Expression and Protein Localization of the PIN Family of Auxin Efflux Facilitator Proteins in Flavonoid Mutants with Altered Auxin Transport in Arabidopsis thaliana. Plant Cell 16:1898-1911.