Laboratories

Studies in genomics and molecular biology of genes involved in the fixation and reduction of CO2 for carbohydrate biosynthesis in sugarcane and studies of the interaction of plant microorganisms in citrus with emphasis on MAPK kinases.

Develops research activities with cyanobacteria. Emphasis on toxin producers focusing on phylogenetic, taxonomic, toxicological and ecophysiological aspects

The aim of our studies are the interactions between plant hormones and the environment, investigating all aspects of plant development

Plants are very interesting living beings! Unlike animals, plants are extremely plastic in responding to changes in the environment and they can shape their own development! Plants are capable to generate new tissues/organs throughout their entire life cycle. The establishment and development of such tissues/organs depend upon several physiological and molecular processes that go on inside the cells. Our research group is interested in studying the formation of vegetative and reproductive organs as well as how plants shape these organs in response to the environment.

The Plant Genetics and Immunology Laboratory is coordinated by Prof. Paulo Teixeira and is part of the Department of Biological Sciences of the “Luiz de Queiroz” College of Agriculture of the University of São Paulo (ESALQ-USP). Our mission is to generate knowledge through scientific research related to interactions between plants and microorganisms, a topic of great relevance to Brazil.

Our research group is interested in understanding how plants develop and how hormones assist them in this complex task. More specifically, we work with plant peptide hormones.  A great deal of our efforts and projects has to do with the function and mechanism of action of a family of peptides called RALF (short for Rapid Alkalinization Factor).