IBIP seminar

The seminars take place on the Montpellier Institut Agro/INRAE Campus of La Gaillarde (2, place P. Viala Montpellier)

Tuesday june 3 14h, Amphi 208

 Molecular mechanims of regulation and ion selectivity of Plant Glutamate-Receptors (GLRs)

José A. Feijó
University of Maryland, Cell Biology & Molecular Genetics Dept., BRB, College Park, MD 20742-4451, USA

Plant Glutamate Receptors (GLRs) are ion channels which are increasingly recognised as crucial for a number of cell-cell communication processes involved in relevant functions, such as reproduction and development, host-pathogen interaction, long-distance communication, wound repair, etc.. In contrast, progress in understanding their molecular features relevant for these roles is lagging. I will present new data regarding their sub-unit polymerization and interactions with other proteins, ligand and ion specificity and propose new modes of action that should inform proper genetic screen design for asserting their function in vivo.
Biography: José Feijó is currently a Professor at the University of Maryland. Research in his group is focused on understanding apical cell growth and morphogenesis, using the pollen tube as a biological model, ion dynamics as an experimental paradigm and theoretical modeling as an integrative tool. His group contributed with novel ion channels and sensors involved in pollen tube biology and reproduction. Feijó’s group further pioneered transcriptomics of plant male gametes and its consequences for plant reproduction and improvement.

Contact: Doan Luu (IPSiM, TICER team)