Abstract 9808327 Ecker This research is providing new information about how plants perceive and relay signals from the plant hormone ethylene. Ethylene plays an important role in plant development and is a major component of a plant's response to stress. The role of ethylene is being elucidated using genetic, molecular and biochemical approaches. Mutants of ethylene responses have been identified in Arabidopsis seedlings. This research is examining two mutants: EIN2 which encodes a membrane protein with similarity to putative ion transporter proteins, and EIN 3 and EIN-like genes encoding a family of nuclear proteins. This research will look at these genes and proteins which interact with them during ethylene signaling. The EIN3 genes are proposed to be regulators of transcription. Proteins which interact with these genes will be identified and their function in signaling examined. This research will provide important information about the signal transduction pathway of the ethylene responses in plants.
