The goal of the research in my laboratory is to understand how isoprenoid compounds influence plant growth and development. Plants produce an astonishing number of distinct isoprenoids (over 30,000), all of which are derived from isopentenyl pyrophosphate. Despite their common origin, these compounds, which include plant growth factors, photosynthetic pigments, sterols, and numerous other metabolites, have unique cellular functions. We are analyzing the effects of isoprenoid growth factors on abiotic stress responses (e.g., drought) and studying the isoprenylation of proteins in the cruciferous plant Arabidopsis thaliana. This work will contribute to the development of genetically modified, drought-tolerant crop species (e.g., soybean).
Department of Biology