Logan Murphy & Caylin Murray

Abstract   Introduction    Materials & Methods    Results    Discussion    Literature cited

Abstract

       Variegation is a genetic mutation which results in white patches on normally green leaves. Schefflera arboricola is a house plant wtih both variegated and unvariegated leaves. The RuBisCO large subunit expression  and the quantity of RuBisCO large subunit DNA in green leaves, white leaf tissues and green leaf margins was compared. Since the chloroplasts necessary for photosynthesis are nonfunctional in white leaf portions, we expect to find no RuBisCo in the white tissues but comparable levels of RuBisCO large subunit in the green tissues and the green leaf margins. Since plastids are present in all plant tissues, we expected to see similar levels of RuBisCO DNA in all three plant tissues. A Western blot was performed to determine how much RuBisCO large subunit protein was present in each tissue. Similar bands were observed in the green tissue and the green leaf margin but no RuBisCO was present in the proteins isolated from the white tissue. To determine if the RuBisCO DNA was present in each tissue real time PCR was performed. Extraction of the DNA was only successful for the non-variegated green leaf tissue so there was no way to compare the RuBisCO DNA  quantity of the three tissues.  PCR Amplification of the green tissues was marginally successful, but resulted in low concentrations that could be due to contamination. The 200 bp fragment expected from the PCR amplification was not visualized on the agarose gel.   In the future, we would like to repeat this experiment to confirm western blot data and obtain data about the RuBisCO gene presence in variegated and non-variegated tissues. 

           Schefflera arboricola    

Schefflera arboricola variegated            Schefflera arboricola Green,

leaves and green leaf margins                non-variegated leaves

All pictures taken by Caylin Murray, 2009.

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