Plant Developmental Evolution
We are interested in the molecular underpinnings of plant diversity. Which genes control the development of plants? And how have they changed over the course of evolution? Right now, we are tackling these questions through a few projects:
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Protein-Protein Interactions and Gene Regulatory EvolutionA long-standing hypothesis in plant biology has been that shifting interactions between MADS-box transcription factors affect downstream gene regulation, and thus drive evolutionary change in the angiosperms. We have developed a system where we can directly test this hypothesis and assess how shifting interactions between MADS-box proteins influence the evolution of gene regulation. In this NSF-funded project, we are using microscopy, genomics, and proteomics to dissect the global affects of shifting MADS-box protein-protein interactions.
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CLAVATA Gene Networks in Stem Cell HomeostasisThe CLAVATA (CLV) genes encode receptor-like kinases and their protein ligands, and have conserved roles controlling stem cell (meristem) homeostasis. This role in meristem biology makes the CLV-network genes central players in the development of plant form, and in the evolution of plant form under domestication. Both CLV receptors and the CLV ligands are members of highly redundant gene families. In this NSF-funded project, we are working to understand how CLV-network genes have evolved, and their roles in meristem homeostasis. In collaboration with the Jackson, Lippman, and Nimchuk labs.
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Floral Developmental Genetics in the GrassesThe Bartlett lab is using forward genetics to identify novel regulators of floral development in grass flowers. In this USDA-funded project, we are working to clone and characterize genes with key roles in the establishment of unisexual flowers, the specification of floral organ identity, and the positioning of organs in developing flowers.
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Epidermal Cell Shape EvolutionEpidermal cell shape has long been thought to be an essentially neutral character, determined by the constraints of leaf growth. However, this hypothesis has never been explicitly tested across vascular plant diversity. When considering vascular plants writ large, do we see a correlation between adult leaf shape and epidermal cell shape? Alternatively, does epidermal cell shape vary according to underlying phylogeny, rather than leaf shape? We are working to answer these questions in collaboration with the Braybrook lab.
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