Peter McCourt

Campus

St. George (downtown)

CSB Appointment

Full

Research Areas

Bioinformatics / Computational Biology, Chemical Biology, Developmental Biology, Genetics / Genomics, Molecular Biology, Plant Biology, Systems Biology

Education

Ph.D. Michigan State University 1986
M.Sc. Genetics University of Alberta 1983
B.Sc. Genetics University of Alberta 1978

Titles and Honors

Canada Research Chair in Plant Molecular Biology
Jack Dainty Distinguished Professor

Primary Undergraduate Department

Cell & Systems Biology

Graduate Programs

Cell & Systems Biology
Psychology

Research Description

The general objectives of our research group are the development of genetic, genomic and chemical biology screening technologies to identify genes that control the synthesis and signaling of select plant hormones. Presently, we are focused on two hormones, abscisic acid (ABA) and strigolactones (SLs). ABA is involved in protecting plants from abiotic stresses such as drought and cold. We are developing meso-scale genetic and protein-protein interaction maps between a few hundred genes involved in the ABA response in Arabidopsis. With an understanding of these ABA networks, it will be possible to make rational improvements in crop species. Towards this end, we are presently translating information garnered from Arabidopsis to crops such as canola and soybean. Although SLs, also have many hormonal roles in Arabidopsis, these compounds are mostly known for their ability to act as germination cues in host/parasite plant interactions. These parasites have evolved strong seed dormancy, which is broken only when they sense SLs extruding from a host’s root. The use of SLs as a germination cue, which allows the parasite to coordinate its lifecycle with its host, has devastating consequences for developing world agriculture. In sub-Saharan Africa alone, parasitic plants have infested up to two-thirds of the arable land and represent one of the largest challenges to food security on that continent, affecting over 100 million people. To directly combat this major problem, we are developing high throughput chemical genomics screens to identify SL mimics that fool parasitic plants into germinating in the absence of a host.