Special Seminar: Plant Single Cell Biology Search- Guannan Wang, PhD – HHMI & Stanford University
March 7 @ 9:30 am - 10:30 am
CSB Special Seminar: Plant Single Cell Biology Search
Guannan Wang, PhD
HHMI & Stanford University
TITLE: Evolutionary Diversity of Cell-Type-Specific Expression Among Brassicaceae
ABSTRACT:
Environmental stress tolerance is crucial for plant survival, influencing crop productivity and ecosystem stability in the face of climate change. While much of the research on stress tolerance has focused on model plants and crops that are generally sensitive to environmental stresses, less is known about how extremophytes, which are wild plants adapted to harsh environments, have evolved to cope with environmental challenges. In my research seminar, I will discuss my recent work using single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) to compare the extremophyte models, Eutrema salsugineum and Schrenkiella parvula, to the stress-sensitive models, Arabidopsis thaliana and Sisymbrium irio, in Brassicaceae using new approaches I developed for comparative omics and systems biology. Cross-species comparisons of single cell transcript profiles of roots grown across three environmental conditions, including salinity stress, allowed for divergence and convergence in cell-type environmental responses to be explored. I will further discuss how innovations in gene expression underlie lineage-specific adaptations, how different cell layers functionally diverge, and how cell types differentially contribute to stress responses within and between species.
HOST: Heather McFarlane
LOCATION: Cell and Systems Biology, 25 Harbord Street, Suite 432
LIVESTREAM LINK: https://csb.utoronto.ca/live-stream/