Ashley MorrisonI transferred to UK in 2023 and joined the Downie Lab to explore one big question: can seed proteins help plants survive environmental stress?
My name is Ashley Morrison, and I am a senior in the Agricultural and Medical Biotechnology program at the University of Kentucky. I was selected to receive a Summer Sustainability Research Fellowship in 2025 to explore this inquiry further.
To answer this question, I have been investigating how two plant proteins — SEED MATURATION PROTEIN 1 (SMP1) and BARENTZ2 (BTZ2) — work together in thale cress. SMP1 is commonly found in seeds, and BTZ2 helps control gene expression. BTZ2 is also linked to a process called Nonsense-Mediated mRNA Decay (NMD) – which is basically the cell’s way of destroying faulty genetic messages before they make proteins, keeping seeds healthy. I’m testing whether SMP1 affects this clean-up process.
Morrison’s experiment.
To start, I built a two-color fluorescent reporter system that I first tested in Nicotiana benthamiana (a relative of tobacco). In this system, one fluorescent marker (green) is designed to be sensitive to this clean-up process, while another marker (red) stays constant and serves as a control. By comparing the ratio of green to red fluorescence, I can measure NMD activity in living plants.
This summer, I introduced this system into thale cress plants with different genetic backgrounds. Of the plants I tested, some were missing SMP1 or BTZ2, some produced extra amounts of these proteins, and, of course, our normal controls.
In parallel, I’m running germination experiments to determine whether SMP1 or BTZ2 change how quickly seeds germinate or whether they successfully complete germination. We define completion of germination as when the radicle – the seed’s first root – emerges from the seed.
I put seeds from several thale cress genotypes on nutrient plates and kept them warm and lit. Every 12 hours for a week I checked whether the seeds had started growing and whether the radicle had broken out of the seed. I repeated the test after giving the seeds a short cold treatment (a 3-day “moist chill”) and again after letting them dry and age for 45 days. Seeds that lacked the SMP1 protein often finished germination at different rates or in different proportions than normal seeds, which suggests SMP1 may help control early seed development.
This summer, I presented my research at the Plant Biology 2025 National Conference in Milwaukee, WI, sharing my preliminary findings on SMP1’s potential role in regulating NMD and its impact on germination. Presenting at a national conference allowed me to engage with leading scientists in the field, gain feedback to refine my experimental approach, and build professional connections that will inform the next stages of this work.
Understanding how SMP1 influences NMD could reveal new strategies to fine-tune gene expression in seeds under environmental stress. If SMP1 also helps control stress-related genetic messages, it may be possible to harness this mechanism to improve crop resilience without increasing inputs such as water or fertilizer. By identifying molecular factors that enhance plant adaptability, this work supports the development of more sustainable agricultural systems that maintain productivity in the face of climate change and resource limitations.
After all, all crops start as seeds.
