Plants recurrently produce new organs and tissues at the apical meristems, whose activity establishes plant architecture and is key to crop productivity.
The Sablowski lab works on the genetics and cell biology of meristem and early organ development in the model plant species, Arabidopsis thaliana and in related crop species (Brassica spp).
One of their main current interests is how the stem is initiated in the subapical region of the shoot meristem. They use a combination of quantitative imaging, genetics and genome-wide association mapping to understand how stem development is regulated and to reveal novel genes that can be used to modify stem architecture.
At a more fundamental level, we study how regulatory genes coordinate cell division and cell growth during plant organogenesis. To study this question, the Sablowski lab use quantitative, live imaging of cell division and growth, combined with global analysis of genes targeted by key regulators of plant organ growth.
Ultimately, their work aims to reveal fundamental principles of plant development to allow rational modification of plant organ growth and crop performance.
Selected Publications
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D'Ario M,Tavares R,Schiessl K,Desvoyes B,Gutierrez C,Howard M,Sablowski R (2021)Cell size controlled in plants using DNA content as an internal scaleScience (372)Publisher's version: 0036-8075
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D'Ario M., Sablowski R. (2019)Cell Size Control in Plants.Annual Review of Genetics (53)Publisher's version: 0066-4197
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Ejaz M,Bencivenga S,Tavares R,Bush M,Sablowski R (2021)ARABIDOPSIS THALIANA HOMEOBOX GENE 1 controls plant architecture by locally restricting environmental responsesProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (118)Publisher's version: 1091-6490