Welcome

The Signaling Mechanisms in Plants research cluster draws upon existing expertise and emerging research strengths in cell biology, biochemistry, genetics, metabolomics and informatics to study how plants use cellular communication—a complex network of molecular signals— in their growth, development and defense responses to stress. Understanding these signaling processes can help regulate crop yield and resistance to pathogens, insects and other adverse environmental conditions. Manipulating signaling mechanisms in plants also will lead to new technologies in agriculture, human nutrition, phytoremediation of environmental toxicants and sustainable energy. The interdisciplinary exchange of ideas guides these advances: cutting-edge cell biology makes use of new imaging techniques, and metabolomic modeling draws upon research from analytical chemistry, genetics and computational sciences. This "systems biology" approach dramatically expands our understanding of living organisms and their environments.

Cluster researchers are recognized as national and international leaders within their respective fields. Collectively, they serve on numerous agency advisory panels and boards and are invited speakers at high-profile research conferences around the world. Annual external research funding includes grants from the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Department of Energy, and various corporations and foundations. Plant science research at UNT will address some of the most important challenges facing the world and, as such, will enhance the national reputation of UNT as an emerging research university.

The Center for Plant Lipid Research is a laboratory resource for the coordination and exchange of cluster research activities: www.biol.unt.edu/~chapman

Latest News

UNT Insider Advancements in Cellular Biology (UNT Press Release) May 2011 (read full article)

Visualization of lipid droplet composition by direct organelle mass spectrometry. (J Biol Chem 2011 Feb 4) from Kent chapman's lab has been named to he Faculty 1000 post publication review which places the article in the top 2% of published articles in biology and medicine. 04 March 2011

Spotlight on Plant Signaling Research in UNT Research Magazine Vol20-2011. 12 January 2011(read full article) (watch video).

Vladimir Shulaev and Ron Mittler, the newest members of the the Plant Signaling cluster participated in a consortium to sequence the woodland strawberry. Dr. Shulaev led the project while at a previous institution and both will contiunue their work here at UNT. They will have an article detailing the research published in the Jan issue of Nature Genetics. 3 January 2011 (read full article)

Disruption of the Arabidopsis CGI-58 homologue produces Chanarin-Dorfman-like lipid droplet accumulation in plants. (Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2010 Oct 12) from Kent Chapman's lab has been named to the Faculty 1000 post publication review which places the article in the top 2% of published articles in biology and medicine. 2 November 2010

Joe Louis (doctoral student in Shah lab) receives Comstock Entomology Award 1 October 2010 (read full article)

UNT professor's plant mutation discovery could lead to new agricultural technologies- 27 September 2010 (read full article)

Other News

UNT President Gretchen Bataille announces funding for research clusters-10 September 2008 (read full article)
UNT named a top 10 “Up-and-Coming” public National University by U.S. News & World Report 20 August 2009 (read full article)
UNT Hires Renowned Plant Science Researchers for Cluster - March 31, 2010
Internationally renowed researchers, Vladimir Shulaev of Virgina Tech and Ron Mittler of the University of Nevada-Reno, join the Signaling Mechanisms in Plants research cluster.
(Read Full Article)