Establishing Zingeria biebersteiniana (n=2) as a Model System for Plant Biology

Zingeria biebersteiniana (Claus) P.A. Smim is a grass species known for having 2n=2x=4, a trait shared with only four other angiosperms Haplopappus gracilis (Nutt.) A. Gray, Brachycome lineariloba (DC) Duce, Brachycome dichromosomatica C.R. Carter, and Colpodium versicolor (Stev.) Woronow. It holds potential as a unique prospect for work as a model species for different cereal studies and as a forgiving gateway to the field of cytogenetics. However, Z. biebersteiniana remains an understudied species. In the current study, I have compiled an overview of known collection sites, a description of morphology, and a discussion of past and current cytogenetic work to better document its potential as a model organism. In addition to its unique karyotype, Z. biebersteiniana has been demonstrated to undergo callus induction and somatic organogenesis. A silica body analysis was conducted on Z. biebersteiniana with regenerated plants derived from tissue culture displaying silica body formation in mature leaf tissue as plants acclimate to soil. This may support the introduction of a silicon nutrient to media, during culture, to promote the health of plants and alleviate transfer shock. In this study, I have developed a protocol demonstrating a pathway for transformation mediated by Agrobacterium tumefaciens (Smith and Townsend 1907) Conn 1942. In this construct, green fluorescent protein is fused to the F-actin binding domain of mouse talin to label the actin cytoskeleton. This facilitates easier visualization of actin microfilaments under fluorescent light without any need for fixatives or permeabilization agents. Due to the nature of the construct and its reliance on actin microfilament activity, visualization of microfilaments may be limited to a short window of time when observations must be made. After I genotyped Z. biebersteiniana using PCR, I analyzed its pollen but failed to identify the desired phenotype. However, a single novel phenotype was identified but it lacked the typical characteristics associated with the construct. The seeds harvested from the newly transformed line can foster future generations for study but more importantly, their conception has demonstrated a successful pathway for transformation in Z. biebersteiniana.