Surbhi Rana

The plant hormone auxin influences almost every aspect of plant growth and development. There are five naturally occurring auxin in plants namely, indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), 4-chloroindole-3-acetic acid (4-Cl-IAA), phenylacetic acid, indole-3-butyric acid (IBA), and indole-3-propionic acid (IPA). Peas, along with other species in the Fabeae and Trifolieae clades of Fabaceae produce the chlorinated variant of auxin, where a chlorine atom covalently attaches at the 4′ position of its indole ring. This 4-Cl-IAA has been implicated to have role in fruit development and seed starch metabolism. However, the exact mechanism of action is unknown.

Using a combination of molecular and genetic tools, Surbhi aims to investigate 4-Cl-IAA signalling and its transport events that control pea fruit development.