Abstract: The shoot apex consists of distinct zones that either remain undifferentiated or undergo cellular differentiation to initiate various growth responses. Proper coordination between cell division and differentiation is essential for the functioning of the shoot meristem. The Arabidopsis homeobox gene SHOOTMERISTEMLESS (STM) is crucial for both the formation and sustained activity of the shoot apical meristem. Through the analysis of STM downstream targets, we have identified numerous stress-associated genes that respond to both abiotic and biotic stress. Understanding the gene networks of these stress-induced genes can reveal how plants integrate intrinsic developmental processes with extrinsic environmental signals during shoot apical meristem and lateral organ development. Moreover, we are translating the knowledge gained from Arabidopsis to horticultural crops to better understand postharvest organ growth and tissue senescence. Specifically, we are characterizing the genes involved in stress-induced senescence in Brassica and fruit crops using quantitative genetics, genomics, and genome-editing approaches. These findings offer insights into hormone crosstalk and signal transduction at the tissue-specific level in horticultural crops. They also provide valuable genetic and molecular resources for marker-assisted breeding while expanding scientific understanding of the regulation of senescence. From these studies, we also developed methods and experiments to understand the mechanisms that plants integrated developmental and environmental signals in crop plants. We are characterizing the genes that are involved in stress induced senescence in brassica rapas such as broccoli using quantitative genetic, genomics, phenomics, and genome-editing approaches.
For more information or to request a meeting with Professor Liu contact: Li-Qing Chen, lqchen77@illinois.edu