Investigation into the roles of Arabidopsis calcium sensors in stress response and development

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Plants must continually monitor their environment and respond to changes with appropriate cellular and physiological adaptations. When faced with adverse environmental stress such as pathogen attack, drought, or salinity, plants initiate specific, adaptive cellular responses which include changes in gene expression, enzyme activity, and metabolic adjustments. These responses are regulated through intricate signalling systems that help orchestrate the cell's machinery into a coordinated response that is appropriately timed and specific for the given stress. Plants use calcium ions as signalling molecules and regulators during responses to virtually all types of biotic and abiotic stress. My research focuses on understanding the unique ways in which plants cells use calcium ions and calcium binding proteins to regulate stress response and development. My lab uses a variety of molecular, genetic, and biochemical tools in our research program. This work will advance our knowledge of plant cell biology and stress physiology. This research is important to the academic, biotechnology, and agricultural communites. It provides the foundation for future applications aimed at engineering enhanced stress tolerance in Canadian crops.