Department of Biology
ESC 350
200 University Ave. W
Waterloo, Ontario,
Canada N2L 3G1
Phone: (519) 888-4567 ext. 32569
Fax: (519) 746-0614
Speaker: Dr. Sonia Gazzarrini (Associate Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough Campus)
Title of Seminar: Molecular and environmental control of seed germination
Time: 3:30 – 4:30 pm
Location: B2-350
Host: Dr. Barb Moffatt
View Poster: Gazzarrini 2013 (pdf)
Seed dormancy is an important adaptive trait, which allows the plant embryo to temporarily cease growth until the conditions are favorable for germination. Seeds integrate a variety of endogenous as well as environmental signals to coordinate the break of dormancy and the onset of germination. We use genetic, molecular and genomic tools to study the role that hormones and the environment play in the regulation of these processes. In particular, we are interested in characterizing seed responses to temperature and water stresses, which severely impact agricultural yields worldwide, and the role that growth promoting and growth inhibiting hormones play in the regulation of these processes.
The transcription factor FUSCA3 is a master regulator of seed development and regulates germination in response to hormonal changes and abiotic stresses in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. SnRK1/AMPK/Snf1 families of serine/threonine kinases are primarily known for their role as sensors of the energy status in eukaryotic cells and are activated in conditions of metabolic stress. I will present recent data on the interaction of these two global regulators of plant development and metabolism, and their overlapping and distinct roles in hormone signaling and abiotic stress pathways.
***All are welcome***