This was a research paper that everybody was required to write in class. This research revolved more around the experimentation of finding subrin in different parts of plants. From this data it would be used to genetically map where subrin would be produced to be the most effective in causing carbon fixation, thereby aiding the search to resolve the greenhouse effect and to dampish any hazardous reactions it could have caused.  

 

Introduction

Climate change is the impending chaos that threatens to affect the thousands of years natural order in the planet. Over the past 100 years since the industrial revolution an uncontrollable amount of carbon dioxide has slowly increased the effect of the world in a phenomenon that is called the Greenhouse effect. The Greenhouse effect derives its definition from an architectural design called a Greenhouse that is used to keep plants in a stable temperature that differs from the outside environment. Greenhouses are usually made from plastic or glass and this material is well known to insulate, thereby maintaining any solar energy that may be lost otherwise. Similarly, this is how the Greenhouse effect works in the sense of trapping any solar energy that should be reflected off the planet. Usually any molecule of gas can be the “plastic and glass” of the atmosphere but the primary molecules responsible is carbon dioxide, water vapor, and methane. Methods it itself are already being implemented to reduce the amount methane, water vapor in the atmosphere is related more to the locale on earth, so that leaves carbon. Thought carbon does not reflect solar energy at as great of a magnitude as methane and water vaper, the amount of carbon dioxide being released into the world is enough to accumulate into disastrous effects to our climate. Now is the time in which the results of the greenhouse effect are noticeable. This time it is more than ever find ways to minimize the effects of climate change in our world. One of the tactics to combat climate change is the use of genetically modified plants to keep carbon dioxide in the soil longer to reduce the amount of the gas in the atmosphere. Plants, like all other carbon-based organism, emit carbon dioxide a waste product. It is typical for plants to release carbon dioxide out of their pores into the atmosphere from cellular respiration, but for the root system it is a bit different. For the carbon dioxide to be emitted from the roots and be absorbed in the soil the roots must bind the carbon dioxide to the molecule suberin. This keeps the carbon in the soil for an extensive period. This process can be a great advantage to combat the greenhouse effect, reducing the carbon in the atmosphere while simultaneously enriching the soil. Though identifying certain genes in the plant that produces the suberin, genetic engineering can create plants that amplify the magnitude in which suberin is produced. With enough plants available it could be a major ally in reducing the damage climate change will have otherwise. In this research paper it will explore how research is being done to examine what genes are responsible for producing suberin and were in the plant.

 

Methods

            Virtually all plants could have been used for this experiment, but the ones chosen were specially plants from the Arabidopsis family as their characteristics of gene expression are easy to identify and can be produced in large quantities. These include plans such as soy, bean and rice plants were most of the plant structure is mostly composed of the root system. They are also additional benefits for using these plants such as they are easy to grow, and they spur genetically identical offspring. These plants were grown in controlled environment in a greenhouse before extraction of DNA proceeded after the plants reached full maturity, was the time in which DNA was removed. The DNA was removed from all organs of the plant and was repopulated using the PCR. PCR (also known as polymerase chain reaction) is a process in which DNA is duplicated over several times to have an adequate sample of the DNA being tested though manipulation transcription in other cells. After the DNA was extracted from the organs of he plants the DNA was tested in succession by using a process call microarray. In this process it allows for scientist to examine a multitude of genes being expressed in different cultures at the same time. The objective of this was to find if suberin was being activated in a gene that the scientist thought it was the cause of the production of suberin and to find where it was primarily being manufactured in the cell. Through analysis of the microarrays it would be possible to test that hypothesis. The independent variable that was to be seen in the experiment was the amount of suberin that would have been produced in different parts of the plant’s organs. This independent variable dependent on the type of organ the gene was being removed from in the plant whether it be the flowers, stems, or roots. The independent variables were comprehensive overall as it it was a quantitative measure that would be measured and the production of suberin did depend on the part of the plant the gene was extracted from. Like a research conducted in “ideal” conditions there is always a chance that something unexpected of statistically significant would have happened. The way that errors were avoided was the use of multiple mathematical checks that ensured that the results received were like the projected average. There was also previous experimentation done on similar projects so there were trends that were supposed to be observed thought the experiment. Lastly the population of genes extracted from the plant specimens were abundant as the polymerase chain reaction allowed ha wide variety of sample to choose from limiting and variance or discrepancies along the way. The way that statistical analysis was done was thought the use of statistical test such as the t-test and normal distribution

Results/Discussions

               The result of the test showed that all organs of the plants produced suberin, but only a select few organs produced more suberin than the rest. For the results of the gene expression it was found that the organs that produced the most suberin was observed in the roots, flowers, cauline leaves and siliques and was found that the production for suberin was 20x higher in a fully mature plant than it was in a 10-day-old seedling with the same organs. The pictures of the results will be shown accordingly.

Here in this figure it where the suberin is most concentrates in the plant as significate in the plant. The plant was placed under a lamp to show the dye and the dye signifies the suberin in the plant. As suberin is more productive in some parts of the plant as opposed to other parts of the plant.

 

In this next figure it shows how some of the suberin was being analyses in the micro array before being put in a graph to illustrate where the part of the plant it came from and how much suberin production. From the figure it shows how there is more being produced in thein different part of the organs.

         After this experiment was done it provided evidence that suberin was being produced in the roots and that it was one of the places in which suberin was being produced the most in the plant. This is only encouraging knowledge as this shows that it is possible for these genes to be manipulated to serve this purpose. As it can be seen from this data suberin is hugely concentrated in the roots of the cell and can be used to help with further research in carbon fixation.

 

Conclusion

This information received is going to help move potential of reducing the greenhouse effect though plants more of a possibility. The use of suberin is wonderful chemical that with the right planning can be a major aid ion reducing the amount of carbon in the world. Though this experiment leads some promising results there is a few more experiments that need to occur before further investigation in producing genetically modified plants become a reality. First of all even though this experiment shows where exactly there is the greatest production of suberin and under what gene their still needs further investigation on whether changing the genetics of the plant will have any adverse effects on the plant. There is evidence to support that increasing the amount of suberin in the plant might cause less nutrients to be received thought the plant which may harm the development of the plant. There are also studies that states that doing so will also reduce the shoot system (stem, leaves, buds) of the plant, which is essential for transpiration and photosynthesis of the plant. Either way this is a great leap forward in the slowing th effect of climate change. Further experimentation on the agenda is to now investigate how such plants will comp under stress such as osmotic pressure and extreme temperature change with an inflx of suberin in the phylum.  

 

 

 

 

 

Reference

Lee, S. B., Jung, S. J., Kim, Kim, J. K., Cho, H. J., Park, O. K., & Suh, M. C. (2009, July 29). Two Arabidopsis 3‐ketoacyl CoA synthase genes, KCS20 and KCS2/DAISY, are functionally redundant in cuticular wax and root suberin biosynthesis, but differentially controlled by osmotic stress. Retrieved November 27, 2019, from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1365-313X.2009.03973.x.

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