Developmental phase transitions in plants

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During their lifetime, plants undergo major developmental phase transitions that are dependent on both environmental and intrinsic factors. The incredible variation observed in plant morphology often derives from changes in the timing of expression of certain developmental programs. Most of the research on developmental phase change in plants has focused on a single event, floral induction. In contrast, the molecular mechanisms that regulate early developmental phase transitions, are still poorly defined. My previous research has highlighted the importance of the role lipophillic hormones like abscisic acid and gibberellic acid play downstream of heterochronic regulators in the temporal control of developmental programs in plants. By changing the rate of cell division, these hormones are also able to affect leaf identity and resistance to abiotic stresses. Several open questions remain. For example, what are the molecular mechanisms that regulate these processes? Are these pathways conserved between animals and plants and among different plant species? Research projects in my lab will focus on understanding the molecular mechanisms that regulate developmental phase transitions and leaf identity in plants, and in particular, the role that hormones play in these processes. My future research aims to isolate mutants affected in early developmental phase changes in Arabidopsis using forward and reverse genetics approaches, as well as genomics tools. Chemical genetics will also be used to identify new molecules that mimic, enhance or suppress known hormone responses during phase transitions. Mutants identified through these types of screens will be later characterized at the molecular, developmental and cellular level using modern fluorescent imaging techniques. The aim of this work is to identify new master regulators of developmental phase changes using the model plant Arabidopsis and then further extend this study to different plant species in order to investigate whether their function is conserved during evolution.