Science · listening at the cell surface
We combine phylogenomics, synthetic biology, biochemistry, and plant biology to understand how plants perceive the environment.
Most plant cell-surface receptors share a common origin, yet they have evolved to sense remarkably different signals. We trace how these receptors diversified, discover what they recognize, and uncover the molecular changes that tune their specificity.
Hover, focus or tap a direction to explore.Across 500 million years of land plant evolution, plants have evolved an extraordinary diversity of cell-surface receptors to sense and adapt to their environment. We want to find out what they recognize, what they do, and why so many different receptors evolved.
By combining evolution, high-throughput screening, and in planta experiments, we uncover the minimal molecular changes that allow receptors to recognize new signals and trigger different downstream responses.
Can we use what we learn from plants to help them adapt better to their environment?
The breadth of plant diversity, explored through phylogenomics, helps us decide where to look, what to test, and how to uncover new receptor functions.
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