Our long-term goal is to understand how molecular mechanisms operating within individual cells are integrated into coordinated physiological responses at the whole-plant level.
Plants continuously adjust how resources are used, recycled, and redistributed between cells, tissues, and organs during growth, development, and environmental stress. Our research seeks to understand the molecular mechanisms underlying this coordination, from intracellular recycling through autophagy to metabolic signaling and communication across the plant.
We combine molecular genetics, cell biology, quantitative physiology, microscopy, and metabolomics to connect molecular processes with whole-plant physiology. Using Arabidopsis together with tomato, petunia, and maize, we investigate how conserved mechanisms help plants balance growth, development, and environmental adaptation.
Cellular recycling through autophagy
Autophagy is a highly conserved recycling pathway that allows cells to remove damaged or unnecessary components while recovering valuable nutrients. We investigate how autophagy is regulated, how specific cellular cargoes are selected for degradation, and how this pathway contributes to plant growth, stress adaptation, and development.
Metabolic regulation and sugar signalling
Plant metabolism is far more than energy production—it also provides signals that coordinate cellular activities. We study how sugars and other metabolites regulate autophagy and influence plant responses to developmental and environmental cues. By integrating physiological experiments with metabolomic analyses, we aim to understand how metabolic signals help plants prioritize resource use under changing conditions.
Coordination across the whole plant
Individual cells do not make decisions in isolation. Plants continuously coordinate the movement and allocation of resources between organs to support growth while responding to environmental challenges. We investigate how local molecular processes influence whole-plant physiology and how communication between tissues enables plants to dynamically balance resource allocation during development and stress.
Conserved mechanisms across plant species
We study these questions in Arabidopsis while extending key discoveries to tomato, petunia, and maize. Comparing different species and developmental systems allows us to identify conserved mechanisms of resource allocation and evaluate their broader biological and agricultural relevance.