The Stress and Genome Dynamics Lab, a unique research entity, is dedicated to the study of plants. Our focus is on unraveling the intricate ways in which various stressors impact the genome dynamics of plants and their responses to stress.
Identification of Stress-Responsive Genes: Our lab aim to identify specific genes and genetic pathways involved in plant responses to stress, such as drought, heat, cold, salinity, or pathogen attacks. Understanding these genes can help in breeding stress-tolerant crop varieties.
Genome Stability Under Stress: We explore how stress affects plant genome stability. This involves studying DNA damage and repair mechanisms and epigenetic modifications that influence gene expression in response to stress.
Molecular Mechanisms of Stress Adaptation: Our lab investigate the molecular mechanisms that allow plants to adapt to stress conditions. This includes studying signaling pathways, transcriptional regulation, and post-translational modifications involved in stress responses.
Comparative Genomics: Comparative genomics studies might be conducted to understand how different plant species or varieties respond to stress. By comparing the genomes of stress-tolerant and stress-sensitive plants, we can identify genetic variations associated with stress resilience.
Epigenetic Regulation: Our lab explores how epigenetic modifications, such as DNA methylation and histone modifications, regulate gene expression in response to stress. Understanding epigenetic mechanisms can provide insights into the long-term adaptive responses of plants to stress.
Application in Agriculture: The findings from our lab’s research can be applied in agriculture to develop stress-tolerant crop varieties through breeding programs or genetic engineering approaches. This can enhance crop productivity and resilience in the face of climate change and other environmental challenges.
The Stress and Genome Dynamics Lab is dedicated to studying plants and their ability to cope with stress at a molecular level, a research area of significant importance in advancing our understanding of plant resilience and agricultural sustainability. Through this work, the lab aims to find practical applications to improve crop production, furthering the field of plant biology.
Doctoral student Xiaoying Niu has been awarded a JSPS Research Fellowship DC2.
(2024/04/25)
The project has been selected as a joint-use research project of the Institute for Basic Biology in 2024. Research title: 'Analysis of epigenetic modification dynamics in plant seed storage at ultra-low temperatures'.
(2024/04/01)
The project has been selected for a G-7 Scholarship Foundation Research and Development Grant. Title of the project: 'Development of a transposon-based library of mutants in radish.'
(2024/03/27)
The proposal has been accepted as a Joint Usage/Integrated Research Project of the Tsukuba Centre for Plant Innovation, University of Tsukuba, 2024. Title: "Epigenetic Regulation of Japanese Pepper Varieties under Drought Stress".
(2024/03/21)
Mr Hasegawa presented at the 65th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Plant Physiologists.
(2024/03/18)
A master's thesis presentation was held and Mr Sun received the best presenter award.
(2024/03/05)
The 2023 Education and Research President's Award ceremony was held, at which plaques and supplementary prizes were presented.
