The Effect of Hydroponics on Glycine max Root Systems through the Analysis of the Gene SUBI2

The gene expression of SUBI2, a gene that regulates the protein Ubiquitin, was analyzed to understand the effects of hydroponics on the root systems of Glycine max (var. Williams 82). Following a 21 day growth period of 6 Glycine max plants, the root systems of each plant were taken to isolate their RNA using the NucleoSpin® RNA Plant by Machery-Nagel. The RNA samples were then used for reverse transcription, to translate to cDNA, which was used for a 25 cycle Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). The resulting strands were placed on an agarose gel electrophoresis to analyze the contrasting brightness of their bands. The results of the gel electrophoresis show that SUBI2 was expressed more in hydroponics rather than in traditional forms of agriculture. Using the expression analysis of SUBI2, future applications may include using CRISPR Cas9 to reliably amplify the gene expression to increase yield and growth rate in hydroponic systems.

Author(s): Thomas K Chia

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