The the molecular biology component of the plant biochemical and physiological curriculum at LSU-Shreveport will be enhanced by providing students enrolled in laboratory class at several levels with the cell and tissue culture facilities necessary for plant physiology and plant molecular biology laboratory work. The requested equipment will be used in a series of experiments designed to enable students to formulate and test hypotheses related to the understanding of important concepts in plant physiology and molecular biology. In the 100 and 300 level courses, students will investigate phenomena regarding the phytohormone ratios necessary to initiate the growth of callus tissue and to regenerate plants from callus tissue. Students enrolled in the 400 level class will gain experience in genetic transformations using Agrobacterium tumifaciens and conduct experiments in gene regulation using plant tissue that has been transformed with the GUS reporter gene system under the control of constitutive and heat shock promoter elements. In addition to serving a pivotal role in the instructional laboratory classes, the requested equipment also will enable undergraduates engaged in research projects to conduct individual investigations.
