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Joanne Chory

Research

Our lab wants to understand the mechanisms by which plants respond to changes in their light environment. We use the reference plant, Arabidopsis thaliana, to identify components of the phototransduction pathways that link changes in the light environment with differential growth and global alteration of the transcriptome. Our genetic analyses indicate that light responses are not simply endpoints of linear signal transduction pathways, but are the result of the integration of information from a variety of photoreceptors acting through a complex network of interacting signaling components. Our studies have also revealed that plant steroid hormones and auxin are involved in light-regulated development of plants. Current studies are focused on defining the mechanistic links between the photoreceptor signaling pathways and endogenous developmental programs that involve the action of plant hormones. Our studies are relevant to plant adaptation to global climate change.

Select Publications

  • Kinoshita, T., A. Cano-Delgado, H. Seto, S. Hirayama, S. Fujioka, S. Yoshida, and J. Chory. (2005). Direct binding of brassinosteroids to the extracellular domain of plant receptor kinase BRI1. Nature. 433: 167-171.
  • Jaillais, Y., M. Hothorn, Y. Belkhadir, T. Dabi, Z.L. Nimchuk, E.M. Meyerowitz, and J. Chory. (2011). Tyrosine phosphorylation controls brassinosteroid receptor activation by triggering membrance release of its kinase inhibitor. Genes Dev. 25: 232-237.
  • Tao, Y., K. Ljung, J-L. Ferrer, F. Pojer, F. Hong, J. Long, L. Li, J. Moreno, M. Bowman, L. Ivans, Y. Chen, J. Lim, Y. Zhao, C. Ballare, G. Sandberg, J. Noel, and J. Chory. (2008). Rapid synthesis of auxin via a new tryptophan-dependent pathway is required for shade avoidance in plants. Cell. 133: 164-176.
  • Michael, T.P., T.C. Mockler, G. Breton, C. McEntee, A. Byer, J.D. Trout, S.P. Hazen, H.D. Priest, C.M. Sullivan, R. Shen, S.A. Givan,, M. Yanovsky, F. Hong, S.A. Kay, and J. Chory. (2008). Network discovery pipeline elucidates conserved time of day specific cis-regulatory modules. PLoS Gen. 4:e14. Epub 2007 Dec 18.
  • Koussevitzky, S., A. Nott, T.C. Mockler, F. Hong, G. Sacheto-Marts, M. Surpin, J. Lim, R. Mittler, and J. Chory. (2007). Signals from chloroplasts converge to regulate nuclear gene expression. (Article). Science. 316: 715-719. Epub: 2007 Mar 29. (Accompanying Perspectives) (*co-first authors).
  • Michael, T. Priest, C.M. Sullivan, R. Shen, S.A. Givan,, M. Yanovsky, F. Hong, S.A. Kay, and J. Chory. (2008). Network discovery pipeline elucidates conserved time of day specific cis-regulatory modules. PLoS Gen. 4:e14. Epub 2007 Dec 18.
  • Woodson, J.D., J.M. Perez-Ruiz, and J. Chory. (2011). Heme synthesis by plastid ferrochelatase I regulates nuclear gene expression in plants. Curr. Biol. 24: 897-903. Epub 2011 May 24.
  • Hothorn, M., Y. Belkhadir, M. Dreux, T. Dabi, J.P. Noel, I.A. Wilson, and J. Chory. (2011). Structural basis of steroid hormone perception by a membrane receptor kinase. Nature, 474: 467-471. Epub2011 Jun12.

Biography

Joanne Chory received an A.B. degree in biology with honors from Oberlin College, OH, a Ph.D. in microbiology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and conducted postdoctoral research at Harvard Medical School. In 1988, she joined the faculty of the Salk Institute, where she has remained. Dr. Chory has served on numerous advisory committees and editorial boards, and has received multiple awards. In 2003, Dr. Chory was named Scientific American's Research Leader in Agriculture. She is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, the German National Academy of Sciences (Leopoldina), the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Joanne Chory is a foreign affiliate of the French Academy of Science, a foreign member of the Royal Society of London, and is an associate member of EMBO.

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