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USER INTERFACE AND SOFTWARE CALIBRATION IMAGING OF THE ARABIDOPSIS THALIANA.  I.F. Paderez¹,  A-L. Paul² and R. J. Ferl².  ¹Spaceflight and Life Sciences Training Program (SLSTP), Kennedy Space Center, ²University of Florida, Gainesville, FL.

   Arabidopsis plants (Arabidopsis thaliana) have been engineered with a gene reporter composed of the Adh (alcohol dehydrogenase) gene promoter and the coding region of a fluorescent protein (GFP).  The goal is to use digital imaging hardware to collect images of the Arabidopsis under stress induced environments such as temperature, agar blankets to mimic root zone hypoxia, and CO₂.  Images of the transgenic Arabidopsis have been primarily taken with NASA computer software of a prototype Flight hardware called, “TAGES Imager” (TAGES – Transgenic Arabidopsis Gene Expression System).   The TAGES imager uses two types of light to collect data on plant growth and stress responses in a controlled closed system.  White light imaging records plant growth and development, while fluorescent light (488nm) imaging records where GFP is expressed in the plant.  Research will consist of working with imaging system in its ability effectively collect images.  The following areas will be emphasized:  A 2-D coordinate plane system, efficiency to reside back to its place of origin specified by the user, and data collection of growth and development of Arabidopsis plants over time.