A Plant Physico-Chemical Thermometer

What happens when the beech unfolds its leaves in the spring? Even the most casual observer cannot help but wonder what is going on during this magical moment. It turns out to be a manifestation of the transition from dormancy to growth of primed stem cells that are awakened, among other, by rising temperatures. But, how does the plant measure temperature? This project tests the bold hypothesis that important post-transcriptional growth regulators undergo finely tuned temperature-dependent phase separation such that they can only act above a certain threshold temperature. I combine biochemical experiments, field observations, genomics, and genetics to explore whether this proposed phase transition has the properties required for temperature sensing, and whether evolution has acted on it to produce diversity in flowering time among related species. The project takes an original look at a fundamental process of huge importance for production of plant-based food and materials.