Research
OVERVIEW
How do organisms, organs, tissues, and cells change their fate when they age toward aging and death? Leaf senescence allows for the degradation of the nutrients that are produced during the growth phase of the leaf and their redistribution to developing seeds or other parts of the plant, and thus is a strategy that has evolved to maximize the fitness of the plant. The leaf senescence processes involve reprogramming of gene expression and are under the control of a complex regulatory network closely linked to other developmental and stress-responsive pathways. Our research objective is to understand the genetic and epigenetic control of senescence and multi-stress responses in plants through molecular genetics and multi-omics approaches.
RESEARCH SUMMARY
Leaf senescence, the last stage of leaf development, is crucial for plant survival and environmental adaptation. It enhances plant fitness through nutrient remobilization from senescing leaves to developing young organs. Leaf senescence is a complex and highly regulated process involving the integration of various environmental signals and age information and requiring coordinated actions across multiple pathways.
Our research aims to understand the regulatory mechanisms behind:
1) How plants integrate internal and external signals into senescence programs,
2) How plants coordinate growth and senescence in leaves and roots, and
3) Whether and how aging (senescence) is controlled by conserved mechanisms in plants and animals.
Key questions our lab addresses include:
1) What is the nature of the plant senescence process?
2) How are the timing and speed of senescence regulated in plants?
3) How has the senescence program evolved in plants?
To tackle these questions, our lab concentrates on the following topics:
Our research aims to understand the regulatory mechanisms behind:
1) How plants integrate internal and external signals into senescence programs,
2) How plants coordinate growth and senescence in leaves and roots, and
3) Whether and how aging (senescence) is controlled by conserved mechanisms in plants and animals.
Key questions our lab addresses include:
1) What is the nature of the plant senescence process?
2) How are the timing and speed of senescence regulated in plants?
3) How has the senescence program evolved in plants?
To tackle these questions, our lab concentrates on the following topics: