Hello! I really like your art so much! I would like to ask you as a botanical scientist. How does Ivy manage plants from a scientific point of view? I understand that it's silly to give meaning to comics, but I'm very interested in this moment.) I assume that this is a complex interaction with auxin receptors: ABP1 and TIR1.
ty! <3 sorry I took a while to get to this, I’ve been thinking about it a lot. I have NO experience with plant genetics but I do have some with microbial genetics. It is kind of silly to dig so deep into the mechanics but it’s so damn fun!
I hope this doesn’t stray too far from your question but In terms of how she controls growth and hormone receptors in plant genes I will happily leave that to a plant geneticist/hobbyist bc I have no clue. Some hormones like auxin are inhibitory or inactive (in a conjugate form) or you have to get ratios right (can’t just put a bunch in and the plant will do what you want) and it’s a whole complicated thing that I hope to understand one day. One day.
In short there are two methods she could use that interest me (and I tentatively understand):
1. Using microbes as “hormone factories”
2. Genetically engineering plants to grow how she wants (but weirder)
1. Hormone factories: make the versions of growth hormones she needs using e.coli. Basically you design a plasmid with the genes to produce the desired hormone and add antibiotic resistance or something so all the cells that kept the plasmid survive and the ones who didn’t die. Ampicillin plates is what I’ve used in the past, and there’s the benefit of getting the exact compound you want. She would need a way to get them to the right cells at the right time which is easier said than done for some things. Others are transported through the plant xylem and or phloem. Plants can have enzymes that will inactivate or break growth hormones down so there’s that too.
2.Genetically engineering plants (but weirder). So I am very partial to the DNA gun (I mean… come on. It’s a DNA gun how much more campy-mad scientist can you get?) which is a Real Thing!!! But being primarily a microbiologist I’m fond of a bacteria called Agrobacter tumefaciens. It can transfer plasmids to plants and makes them grow tumors for the bacteria to live in by messing with growth hormones! So, she (theoretically) could make her own plasmid and use the bacteria to transfer those plasmids into her plants. This is much simpler than the actual process but interesting to think about.
Aforementioned DNA gun^ source
I do love my bacteria but I do think Ivy should get a DNA gun. As a little treat.
