Research Projects

Temperature plays a crucial role in plant growth and adaptation, with warm temperatures promoting vegetative and reproductive transitions while compromising plant immunity and increasing disease frequency. Global warming can cause significant damage to crop production and food security. Identifying genetic components and understanding their molecular mechanisms is essential for breeding climate-resilient crop varieties. The bHLH transcription factor PHYTOCHROME INTERACTING 4 (PIF4) is a critical positive regulator, while the photoreceptor phytochrome B (phyB) acts as a key negative regulator. The phyB-PIF4 module is vital in modulating plant immunity in warm temperatures. Upstream positive regulators of PIF4, such as COP1 or DET1 or sIZ1, play a crucial role in temperature-mediated regulation of growth and defense responses. The E3 ubiquitin ligases control growth and disease resistance across eukaryotes, including plants. A group of novel E3 ubiquitin ligases, LIGHT-REsPONsE BRIC-A-BRACK or TRAMTRACK or BROAD (LRB), are critical regulators of thermosensory growth that work upstream to PIF4. The study aims to unravel LRBs role in plant immunity and temperature-mediated regulation of growth-defense trade-off in Arabidopsis using genetic, genomic, and biochemical approaches.