Shelley Lumba

Campus

St. George (downtown)

CSB Appointment

Full

Research Areas

Developmental Biology, Genetics / Genomics, Molecular Biology, Plant Biology, Systems Biology

Education

Ph.D. University of Toronto 2007
BSc Hon, University of Toronto 2000

Primary Undergraduate Department

Cell & Systems Biology

Graduate Programs

Cell & Systems Biology

Research Description

The Lumba Research Group is interested in the molecular mechanisms underlying dormancy and germination in parasitic plants like Striga. In Africa, S. hermonthica is the most destructive Striga species by parasitizing major food crops such as sorghum, rice and millet and causing yield losses in the range of 30 to 100%. Striga infestations adversely affect the lives of over 100 million people in 25 countries. Understanding the molecular mechanisms that underlie dormancy and germination in the Striga seed is essential to developing strategies to combat Striga. These molecular mechanisms, however, are poorly understood. We apply systems biology approaches to integrate genomic, transcriptome and protein-protein interaction data to generate signalling networks underlying germination in a parasitic model, Striga and a non-parasitic model, Arabidopsis. To generate protein interaction datasets for Striga and Arabidopsis, we have developed a “tabletop interactome” method consisting of high-throughput, binary yeast two-hybrid studies. Our particular focus is on signalling networks of plant hormones such as SL (strigolactone), GA (gibberrellic acid) and ABA (abscisic acid), which are known to play critical roles in the decision to germinate. By generating signalling networks at the protein level, we are closer to a cellular understanding of germination processes in plants. Further comparisons of signalling networks between Striga and Arabidopsis will also reveal clues to the evolution of a parasitic lifecycle. Our goal is to take advantage of these differences to develop strategies that prevent Striga from germinating and infecting its host.