Understanding genes and regulatory networks in plant stress responses and disease
Diseases and abiotic stresses of vegetables, fruits, and commodity crops result in annual yield losses of US $300 million or more. Towards enhancing the stress resilience of crops, we are pursuing genetic and genomics-based characterization of diverse environmental and biotic stresses in citrus, potato, tomato, spinach, and sugarcane, as well as in model plants Arabidopsis and Brachypodium.
We are employing the latest omics technologies to speed the discovery and functional characterization of plant stress signaling components. We study the transcriptome, epigenome, spliceome, and metabolome-level changes in plants during diverse stresses. From these studies, we are identifying critical genes encoding G-protein coupled receptors, receptor-like kinases (RLKs), protein phosphatases, and transcription factors (WRKY, MYB, and AP2/ERF family) that are involved in stress signaling and could influence plant adaptation responses. We are characterizing the function of several of these candidates using genetic and biochemical approaches. Additionally, in collaboration with plant breeders, we are identifying molecular markers linked to the desirable traits in breeding populations using GBS/GWAS approaches. The findings are incorporated into crop improvement using biotechnology, genome editing, and breeding tools.
Research funded by U.S. Department of Agriculture-National Institute of Food and Agriculture Hatch Act; Texas A&M AgriLife Research
