|
|
|
|
|
|
 OverView
|
In most multicellular organisms, signals and nutrients are transported throughout the body by a
vascular system. For normal development and optimal function, no area of the body should thus
be devoid of vessels. Therefore, the growth of tissues and their vascularization must be tightly
coordinated, and understanding the molecular basis of this coordination is a key question in
biology. In animals, signals from proliferating nonvascular tissues promote their vascularization;
in turn, vessels signal back to surrounding nonvascular tissues to control their growth and
development. By contrast, in plant organs, vascular and nonvascular tissues differentiate from
the same precursor cells; yet it is possible that the logic that integrates the growth of tissues and
their vascularization in plants is no different from that in animals. Here, I investigated this
possibility for Arabidopsis leaves, in which internal, ground cells proliferate and differentiate
into either mesophyll or veins. I combined: (i) molecular genetic interference with core
regulators of cell cycle progression and cell differentiation; (ii) cellular imaging of cell fate
markers; and (iii) analysis of vein network topology. And I used this combined approach to show
that cell proliferation inhibits progression of ground cells to mesophyll fate, thus permitting their
recruitment into veins, and that cessation of cell proliferation permits progression of ground cells
to mesophyll fate, thus preventing their recruitment into veins. Though this logic resembles that
of tissue patterning in animal appendages, it is different from that which integrates tissue growth
and vascularization in animal organs. What molecular mechanisms control the integration of
tissue growth and vascularization in plant organs? By combining (i) molecular genetic
interference with core regulators of cell cycle progression and signaling pathways, (ii)
topological analysis of vein networks, and (iii) imaging of cell proliferation markers
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Research Intersets:
|
Investigating the role of auxin in plant growth and development, with a focus on its physiological and molecular mechanisms.
Exploring the effects of plant extracts on human health, particularly their anticancer and anti-inflammatory properties.
Studying plant responses to drought stress, including physiological adaptations and mechanisms of drought tolerance to enhance crop resilience.
|
|
|
|
|
 Qualifications
|
| #
|
Degree
|
University
|
Specialization
|
Graduation year
|
| 1 | PHD | University of Alberta | Plant Biology | 2015 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Publications
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|