My research focuses on understanding how internal oxygen dynamics shape plant growth, development, and behavior. Plants are not uniformly oxygenated, and they can suffer low oxygen (hypoxia) conditions in organs and tissues at different developmental stages. We recently discovered that young, emerging leaves of the plant model species Arabidopsis thaliana experience rhythmic fluctuations in internal oxygen levels, a phenomenon called cyclic hypoxia. These oxygen fluctuations are sensed through the plant oxygen-sensing pathway through the activity of ETHYLENE RESPONSE FACTOR VII transcription factors. This mechanism acts like a “metabolic clock,” adjusting the timing of daily leaf growth in response to oxygen availability and energy status of the plant. My approach combines spatiotemporal imaging of fluorescent and luminescent reporters with transcriptomic analyses at organ, tissue and single-cell resolutions, to investigate how daily oxygen fluctuations are integrated with other key physiological processes to spatiotemporally regulate plant growth and development.
For an updated list of academic publications, visit this link.
