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LOW PRESSURE INCREASES TRANSGENE EXPRESSION IN ARABIDOPSIS PLANTS.  Prayrana Khadye¹, Anna-Lisa Paul, Ph.D.², and Robert Ferl, Ph.D.².  ¹Clemson University, Clemson, SC, ²University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida.

     Long-term space missions will require plants and hardware to adapt to new environments.  A problem that arises, however, is whether plants will survive in environments with such low atmospheric pressures, as experienced on Mars.  Adh/GUS and Adh/GFP engineered Arabidopsis plants were exposed to low pressure levels in a simulated chamber and genetic technologies were used to decipher gene expression patterns.  The plants exhibited high gene expression in the root tips and light expression in the meristems when exposed to a pressure level of 10 kPA.  This expression was much greater than normal hypoxic induced plants, which implies that other factors of reduced atmospheric pressures may be affecting gene expression.