[CEPCEB_All] *TOMORROW* Plants3D Seminar: Trevor Nolan

Aaliyah Kelley aaliyah.kelley at ucr.edu
Thu Feb 6 08:12:06 PST 2025


[https://plants3d.ucr.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/cropped-cropped-plants3d-logo-08-RGB-@3x.png]
You are cordially invited to attend

Trevor Nolan

California Institute of Technology


Unveiling spatiotemporal control of root growth and development

[cid:dda87798-a60e-4521-98d6-9764edfb406d]

        Date: Friday, February 7

     Time: 12pm - 1:00 pm

      Location: Genomics Auditorium 1102


Abstract:

How cells in multicellular organisms collectively coordinate and execute their developmental programs amidst complex environments is a question at the heart of plant biology. Plant roots, with their orderly progression from stem cells to differentiated tissues, offer a living timeline to study this question. Plant biology research in the past century has investigated development through genetics, genomics, and molecular analysis, revealing complex signaling pathways such as those controlled by hormones. Among these, brassinosteroid hormones play crucial roles in cell division, elongation, differentiation, and environmental responses. A brassinosteroid signaling pathway has been established from plasma- membrane localized receptors to nuclear transcription factors. However, it remains to be understood how this single group of hormones can elicit varying responses depending on the cellular context. Single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) enables molecular profiling in individual cells to address such questions. Using this technology, we constructed an Arabidopsis root atlas, which highlighted the continuous nature of development and provided new insights into cell identity acquisition. By using time-series scRNA-seq to profile brassinosteroid-responsive gene expression specific to different cell types and developmental stages of the Arabidopsis root, we identified the elongating cortex as a site where brassinosteroids trigger a shift from proliferation to elongation associated with increased expression of cell wall-related genes. Our analysis revealed HAT7 and GTL1 as brassinosteroid-responsive transcription factors that regulate cortex cell elongation. These results establish the cortex as a site of brassinosteroid-mediated growth, illuminating spatiotemporal hormone responses. My presentation will highlight current efforts using single-cell RNA-seq, large-scale CRISPR screening, and spatial transcriptomics to elucidate the molecular frameworks governing the spatiotemporal switch between proliferation and differentiation and cell-cell communication orchestrating organ growth. These advances in understanding and reconstructing gene regulatory networks that govern root growth pave the way for applications in synthetic biology and sustainable agriculture. They also demonstrate the power of plant biology research in understanding fundamental developmental processes, setting the stage for future innovations to address environmental challenges through enhanced plant growth and resilience.



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