Cell Cycle Control and Signal Transduction

In contrast to animals, plants are sessile organisms and cannot move away from adverse environmental conditions. Therefore, plants heavily rely on high sensitivity detection and adaptation mechanisms to environmental perturbations. The goals of our research are to understand the molecular mechanisms of how plants sense, transduce and adapt to changes in environmental conditions such as UV, cold, drought, heat, salinity, pests and pathogens. We aim to understand how plants perceive and transmit stress signals, how plants regulate stress gene expression, and what function stress metabolites and protein products have in conferring stress tolerance. We believe that a thorough understanding of these processes will provide a solid basis to help secure agriculture and environment under changing global conditions.