Current Research
Desert plants have developed a number of strategies to survive in an environment with protracted dry periods and high temperatures. In this context, studying changes in their root system architecture can be used to illustrate adaptive responses to the stress conditions while unraveling molecular mechanisms underlying tolerance to these conditions could be implemented to grow crops resistance in the desert environment.
We have found that the developmental regulators BIRD proteins mediate Jasmonic acid defense response through interacting with core JA signaling pathway genes. We are currently dissecting the molecular framework underlying the dual function of these protein complexes.
During multicellular development, the specification of distinct cell fates is often regulated by the same transcription factors operating differently in distinct cis-regulatory modules.
Plants rely on their roots for nutrients and water uptake. Being an essential organ, studying plant root development is important to understand their behavior under challenging conditions.