Our long-term research ambitions are to (i) identify and characterize components of the cellular machinery used by plants to detect and respond to the hormone auxin, and (ii) to use this knowledge to develop fluorescence-based “biosensors” that enable accurate measurement of hormone levels and location in living plants.

AuxSynYeast

Our lab utilizes the AuxSynYeast system to study auxin signaling components from a variety of plants. This systems enables co-expression of user-defined auxin signaling modules: receptors, repressors, transcription factors, and transcription factor binding sites. Auxin-induced signaling dynamics can then be measured for each module, providing information on sensitivity to auxin levels and the speed and magnitude of the auxin response.

Current Projects

AuxSynPears

We are studying the auxin detection machinery in Pyrus communis (the common pear) in order to understand the role this hormone plays during root growth and development in these important horticultural crops. This work is a collaboration with Dr. Jessica Waite at the USDA/ARS Physiology and Pathology of Tree Fruits Research Unit in Wenatchee, WA.

Maize_AuxRE_logoMaize AuxRE (past support from the NSF)

The Maize AuxRE collaboration is focused on defining auxin-regulated molecular networks in the economically important crop plant, maize (corn), and to link these networks to the growth and development of its reproductive structures, the tassel and the ear, key factors in maize productivity. Connecting auxin signaling modules with tissue-level events will require a detailed understanding of which interactions occur in specific tissues and at specific times. One way we are approaching functional analysis of the auxin signaling interactome using the AuxSynYeast system.

Auxin Biosensor (supported by the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust, Beckman Scholars Program, & Whitman College)

We are also designing and testing new fluorescent auxin biosensors. A biosensor is an analytical device made out of biological materials such as DNA or proteins, which in turn readily enables it for use in living cells/organisms. We build and test new auxin biosensor designs in yeast, and strong candidates will then be tested in plants.