Molecular investigation of plant immunity and environmental stress responses.
Our research program is centred around understanding the molecular basis by which climatic factors impact plant immune responses and disease resistance. Although other research groups have provided major advances on plant immunity to disease-causing pathogens, our understanding of how climatic factors (e.g. temperature) impact plant immune signalling and responses at the molecular level is relatively underexplored. We use the plant growth system and molecular phenotyping platform to: (1) discover novel regulators of temperature-regulated plant immunity; (2) elucidate other temperature-modulated plant mechanisms and processes; and (3) characterize how temperature-suppression of disease resistance is conserved in other plant species (e.g. crops). By combining multiple technologies, our research program aims to unravel the profound yet enigmatic effect of temperature on plant immune resilience and disease development. We hope to identify new genes and other factors that mediate this process and to untangle their evolutionary significance. Our long-term goal is to leverage biological insights to address current challenges in plant biology and agriculture. This could lead to better plant resilience engineering to mitigate disease outbreaks in a warming world.
Our lab is open for collaborative research in plant immunity and plant stress biology. In particular, we specialize in plant gene expression analyses and disease assays.
- Agriculture, animal science and food
- Environmental technologies and related services
- Life sciences, pharmaceuticals and medical equipment
Specialized labs and equipment
| Equipment | Function |
|---|---|
| BioChambers “Double-Decker” Reach-In Plant Growth Chamber, Model SPC-7-2H | Plant piggyback growth chamber used to grow plants in controlled conditions for comparative experiments (i.e. ambient vs. elevated temperature simultaneously). |
| Applied Biosystems QuantStudio 3.0 (QS3) 96-well 0.1ML qPCR System | qPCR system for accurate and precise measurements of transcript levels. |
| Applied Biosystems ProFlex 3X32-well PCR system | PCR thermocycler for plant/bacterial genotyping, molecular cloning, cDNA synthesis for downstream gene expression analyses and regular end-point PCR amplification. |
| DeNovix DS-11 Series Microvolume Spectrophotometer | Microlitre spectrophotometer to quantify DNA (for cloning and genotyping purposes) and RNA (for gene expression profiling). |
| Eppendorf Microcentrifuge 5425R | Refrigerated microcentrifuge for processing hundreds of samples, including plant RNA/DNA extraction, plasmid DNA isolation, hormone extraction and other temperature-sensitive assays in molecular biology, microbiology and biochemistry. |
| Qiagen TissueLyser II Bead Mill | High-throughput homogenizer for high-throughput sample disruption for analyses of bacterial levels in planta, molecular applications (DNA and RNA extractions) and biochemical assays (plant hormone measurements). |
Private and public sector research partners
- University of Toronto
- Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS)
- Platform Genetics Inc.