Research
Plant cells manage and coordinate gene expression to communicate information throughout the plant for the regulation of development and responses to external stresses. Our research group uses spatial and single-cell genomics, imaging, and molecular biology to uncover the spatial organization of genes in plants, with a core objective of unraveling the communication mechanisms within plant cells. Our goal is to create a detailed “map” that pinpoints where genes are located to understand how they are regulated across plant organs and tissues. Our research encompasses two fundamental areas of biology to achieve this goal:
Plants and microbes are in constant interaction with each other in nature. Plants need to defend themselves from pathogens that are constantly evolving to overcome resistance. On the other hand, there are microbes that benefits plant growth and fitness. Therefore, plants must defend themselves against pathogens, while at the same time take advantage of the microbes that benefit them. We seek to investigate the spatial and temporal aspects of these interactions and uncover the gene networks plant cells use to defend themselves against pathogens and recruit beneficial microbes.
1) Plant-Microbe Interactions
Duckweeds are small aquatic plants that provide great models for studying plant development due to their small size and rapid reproduction times of less than 2 days. Our goal is to decode the spatial arrangement of the entire transcriptome in this tiny plant species in order to understand how does it develops and reproduces so rapidly. Answering this question could lead to broader implications in developing crops that are more efficient in growth.
2) Duckweed Biology
