Our lab combines computational and experimental approaches to reveal molecular mechanisms underlying adaptive strategies in plants. We focus on metabolic traits at multiple scales including individual genes, pathways, and networks. We also uncover novel functions, mechanisms, and pathways of 'unknown' genes (those that are not similar to any known genes), which is taking us to areas of research we never thought of studying before.

Front Matter

How do Plants Know how Big to Grow
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Organisms grow to fit the space and resources available in their environments, leading to a vast diversity of body sizes and shapes within a population of the same species. What are the genetic and physiological mechanisms that determine how big an organism can grow?
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In insects and mammals, the cellular and molecular factors underpinning body size are well established. But in plants, this process has puzzled scientists for generations. How a plant controls the size to which it grows is a fundamental part of its developmental processes and impacts its likelihood of success in a particular environment.

“It is crucially important to understand how plants control their overall size during development,” said Carnegie’s Sue Rhee, who led a team of scientists investigating this mystery. “This knowledge could help us improve agricultural productivity and guide land-use decision-making, especially as many environmental conditions are being reshaped by climate change.”

She and the rest of the Carnegie team—lead author Flavia Bossi, along with Benjamin Jin, Elena Lazarus, Heather Cartwright, and Yanniv Dorone—made an important breakthrough in answering this long-standing question. Their findings are published in Development.

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