It is estimated that, by 2050, global food production needs to grow by 70% in order to meet with projected world population of 9.8 billion. Feeding the future population with sustainable agriculture while facing extreme climate changes, such as heat, flood, draught as well as emerging pathogens and pests, became the pressing issue. In the past two decades, molecular genetics of model plant species has unraveled key genes and pathways underlying plant growth, development, and environmental response. Harnessing cross-disciplinary research collaboration and advanced technologies (e.g. chemistry, structural biology, computational biology, systems and synthetic biology), we aim to probe and manipulate plant growth and resilience for our future. This virtual symposium seeks plants of the future through leading scientists taking unique approaches.
Organizers: Enamul Huq & Keiko Torii
Department of Molecular Sciences,
The University of Texas at Austin
Yuichiro Tsuchiya, Ph.D.
Nagoya University
Lucia Strader, Ph.D.
Duke University
Hong Qiao, Ph.D.
The University of Texas at Austin
Sean Cutler, Ph.D.
University of California,
Riverside
Brian Gregory, Ph.D.
University of Pennsylvania
Hailing Jin, Ph.D.
University of California,
Riverside
Libo Shan, Ph.D.
Texas A&M University
Edward Marcotte, Ph.D.
The University of Texas at Austin
9:00 am CDT (10:00 am EDT; 7:00 am PDT) Opening Remarks, Daniel Leahy, Chair, MBS
Session 1 New Frontiers in Plant Hormones
9:15 - 9:50 am Yuichiro Tsuchiya
Manipulating strigolactone receptors in parasitic plant Striga hermonthica
with small molecules
9:55 -10:30 am Lucia Strader
Fantastic ARFs and where to find them: regulation of auxin response
10:35 - 11:10 am Hong Qiao
Chromatin & transcription regulation in plant hormone and stress responses
11:15 - 11:30 am Short break (bathroom break, coffee break):
Keynote Session
11:30 - 12:20 pm Sean Cutler
New tools for dynamically maximizing crop productivity
12:20 ~12:55 pm Lunch break
Session 2 RNA World
12:55 -1:30 pm Brian Gregory
Messenger RNA 5’ NAD+ capping is a dynamic regulatory epitranscriptome
mark that is required for proper response to abscisic acid
1:35 -2:10 pm Hailing Jin
Cross-Kingdom RNAi between plants and fungal pathogens
2:15-2:40 - Asking career questions to Speakers/Break 2x moderators: TBA
Session 3 Emerging Protein Complex & Signaling
2:40 - 3:15 pm Libo Shan
Plant cell surface immune receptor signaling
3:20-3:55 pm Edward Marcotte
Evolution and the proteome: mapping the biochemical machinery shared
across plants and beyond
3:55 pm- Closing Remarks, Enamul Huq & Keiko Torii
4 pm Departure