Speaker: Jacob Brunkard, assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin, Madison

Title: "An evolutionary TORtoise: conservation and transformation in plant TARGET OF RAPAMYCIN signaling"

Abstract: TARGET OF RAPAMYCIN (TOR) is a protein kinase that monitors nutrient availability to coordinate growth and metabolism across eukaryotic lineages.  My lab combines approaches from molecular biology, classical genetics, and functional genomics to investigate the evolution of this conserved signaling network and map the mechanisms used by TOR to sense nutrients (upstream) and regulate metabolism (downstream) in plants.  We have recently made discoveries about the role of TOR in intercellular (plasmodesmata) transport, source/sink reallocation of photosynthesized sugars, selective mRNA translation, and nucleotide sensing in plants.  Long-term, we expect that a deeper understanding of TOR signaling networks in plants will enable innovative approaches to optimize plant nutrient uptake and utilization to support a sustainable agricultural future.

Host: Joe Aung, genetics, development and cell biology assistant professor