Speaker: Ron Mittler, University of Missouri Curators' Distinguished Professor

Title: "Reactive oxygen species signaling in plant stress responses" 

Abstract: Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are key signaling molecules that enable cells to rapidly respond to different stimuli. In plants, ROS play a crucial role in abiotic and biotic stress sensing, integration of different environmental signals and activation of stress-response networks, thus contributing to the establishment of acclimation and/or defense mechanisms and plant resilience. Recent advances in the study of ROS signaling in plants include the identification of ROS receptors and key regulatory hubs that connect ROS signaling with other important stress-response signal transduction pathways and hormones, as well as new roles for ROS in organelle-to-organelle and cell-to-cell signaling. Our understanding of how ROS are regulated in cells by balancing production, scavenging and transport has also increased. In my talk I will discuss these promising developments with a focus on systemic signaling and multifactorial stress combination.

Host: Kyaw (Joe) Aung, Department of Genetics, Development and Cell Biology assistant professor