RNA Structure and Function Verified listing

Study of in vivo RNA structure and post-transcriptional regulation

We work on in-vivo large-scale studies of RNA structure and function to understand the role of posttranscriptional regulation in plant adaptation to warm ambient temperatures. Plants respond to warmth via morphological changes that help body cooling, termed thermomorphogenesis. This adaptative process is becoming increasingly relevant due to climate changes and its consequent mild increases in global average temperatures, impacting crop yield and food security.

In our group, we are interested in the molecular mechanisms involving conformational changes in mRNA structure that regulate transcript stability and translation, thereby regulating thermomorphogenesis. We study the plant model Arabidopsis and focus on RNA structures that are conserved across plant species.