In order to correctly execute an asymmetric division, stomatal lineage cells must coordinate polarization of the mother cell with fate specification in the daughter cells. In one of my projects, I am studying potential connections between polarity and fate regulators in the Arabidopsis stomatal lineage, using time-lapse imaging and computational modeling approaches.
Although stomatal development has been relatively well studied in Arabidopsis, this plant provides an imperfect model for grass species, which are distinct in both the morphology and the overall pattern of their stomata. In my second project, I am studying mechanisms of polarization, fate specification, and patterning in the stomatal lineage of Brachypodium distachyon, a forage grass used as a model for biofuel and crop species.
