Developmental innovations of stomatal form and function in grasses

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How cells acquire a specific identity remains one of the most fundamental questions in modern biology. Plant stomata--small, adjustable valves on the leaf surface regulating gas exchange between plant and atmosphere--offer an outstanding developmental, evolutionary and physiological model system. Unlike most other plants, the grass family, which includes the three most important food crops rice, maize and wheat, add subsidiary cells to their stomata to help grasses "breathe" more efficiently. I will use the emerging model grass Brachypodium distachyon to understand how grasses recruit SCs, what the molecular identity of SCs is, and how SCs enhance stomatal physiology. To build a comprehensive gene regulatory network of SC formation and function, my lab will use comparative and cell-type specific transcriptomics in Brachypodium and link this to a time-lapse imaging "roadmap" of the developing grass epidermis. Finally, I will explore stomatal form and function in evolutionary distant species with distinct photosynthetic lifestyles using classical genetics and physiology approaches. My vision is to engineer SC properties in many different crops to enhance plant productivity and provide food, fiber, and fuel for future generations.