Speaker
Description
Duckweeds serve as ideal model plants for whole-plant imaging due to their simple two-dimensional structure and compact size. Using bioluminescent reporters, we have achieved long-term, continuous monitoring of gene expression dynamics at both the whole-plant and single-cell levels (Sci Adv 2016; New Phytol 2021; Plant Physiol 2023). These studies spatiotemporally revealed dynamics of circadian and diel gene expression in duckweed. While these bioluminescence techniques were originally developed for duckweeds, they have recently been applied to other species, such as Arabidopsis (Sci Rep 2025). In this presentation, we will highlight the unique bioluminescence behaviors specific to duckweeds (and aquatic plants) and introduce new applications of bioluminescent reporters for monitoring plant physiological processes. Finally, we will discuss the advantages and limitations of duckweeds as a model system.
Keywords
bioluminescent reporter, luciferases, gene expression
References
Horikawa, Y., Watanabe, E., Ito, S. Oyama, T. Model-based analysis of the circadian rhythm generation of bioluminescence reporter activity in duckweed. Plant Biotech. 42: 173-177 (2025)
Watanabe, E., Muranaka, T., Nakamura, S., Isoda, M., Horikawa, Y., Aiso, T., Ito, S., Oyama, T. A non-cell-autonomous circadian rhythm of bioluminescence reporter activities in individual duckweed cells Plant Physiol. 193: 677-688 (2023)
| Corresponding author email | oyama@cosmos.bot.kyoto-u.ac.jp |
|---|---|
| Scientific Session | Cell Biology, Physiology, Metabolisms |
