Epigenetic Regulation of Circadian Clock
Circadian clock temporally coordinates endogenous biological processes in anticipation of the environmental day/night cycles, allowing organisms to increase their fitness and maximize their possibilities of reproductive success and survival. We are interested in how circadian rhythm regulate a wide range of cellular responses under stress conditions. Particularly, plant responses to different environmental signals have been correlated with the reversible modulation of chromatin folding that facilitates the transcriptional regulation of inducible genes. We are working to understand the epigenetic mechanisms behind the circadian gene expression control and the coincidence of endogenous physiology with environmental stimuli
Temperature Perception and Signal Transduction
Plants are sessile organisms and thus highly responsive to differences in
ambient temperature. We are interested in elucidating the molecular
mechanisms underlying temperature perception and signal transduction.
to address this question, we are currently carrying out a genetic screening
for identifying signaling components of the temperature perception in model
plants.
Environmental Regulation of Plant Architecture
Plants have evolved plasticity to adapt to their surrounding environment. We are currently studying
the molecular basis of environmental regulation of plant architecture. Abscisic acid (ABA) has been implicated in the regulation of plant growth under environmental stress conditions, and we are currently investigating the role of ABA in cellular dedifferentiation and redifferentiation. We employ chemical
biology approaches to identify network components and apply mechanistic approaches to understand their detailed function and interactions
Bioenergy : Brachypodium Research
Brachypodium (Brachypodium distachyon) was first proposed as a model system in 2001 and has been employed as a model plant for studies on biofuel grass species and grass crops, because of it small stature, short generation
time, small genome, the ability to self pollinate and availability of efficient transformationsystems. we focus on defining the network architecture responsible for energy metabolism. Energy metabolism is linked with plant development, vegetative growth, cell wall biosynthesis, and environmental stress resistance, and thus the genetic pathway can be manipulated to improve the efficiency and cost effectiveness of growing biofuel and bioenergy crops.
time, small genome, the ability to self pollinate and availability of efficient transformationsystems. we focus on defining the network architecture responsible for energy metabolism. Energy metabolism is linked with plant development, vegetative growth, cell wall biosynthesis, and environmental stress resistance, and thus the genetic pathway can be manipulated to improve the efficiency and cost effectiveness of growing biofuel and bioenergy crops.