Through the CAFE funding, I was able to work in the Cheung lab in the LGRT. Over the summer I learned a lot about the model plant that our lab studies Arabidopsis thaliana. I used my time to grow lines of this plant while also doing experiments with them. I learned about the ways we transform plants to get proteins tagged. I also learned how to purify proteins that we can use in experiments. Most importantly I learned and practiced some root growth assays and did pollen pistil work. I used aniline blue staining to observe pollen tube overgrowth phenotypes in different mutants. I also learned how to time and execute semi- in-vivo pollination method that I can use in the future to understand signaling pathways that influence pollen tube growth and ensure successful fertilization. I look forward to using what I learned in the summer in upcoming research this semester in the Cheung lab.
