Interaction of Class IV Homeodomain Leucine-Zipper Transcription Factors and GIR Adapter Proteins in Arabidopsis

Abstract

Plants have developed many different mechanisms to adjust to changes in their environment. For Arabidopsis, the production of GIR adapter proteins in response to stressors like light signals and salinity helps the plant adapt to those stressors. The GIR adapter protein family is comprised of three proteins: GIR1, GIR2, and SIED1. Deletion mutations in the genes responsible for the proteins have led to defects in epidermal cell-type differentiation such as root hair regulation and giant cell formation in the sepal. Through the creation of the triple mutant for GIR1, GIR2, and SIED1 we were able to investigate potential functional redundancies and the effect GIR proteins have on Arabidopsis.