Congratulations to Waite researcher Dr Caitlin Byrt who will share in funding announced today under the Australian Research Council’s (ARC) Future Fellowships Programme.
Future Fellowship
Dr Caitlin Byrt (University of Adelaide & ARC CoE in Plant Energy Biology)
$728,124 over four years
This project aims to increase our understanding of how plant cells regulate solute transport. Crop growth depends on water uptake and transport, and the rapid movement of water across plant cell membranes requires transporters such as aquaporins. Preliminary data indicates that a series of signals can switch aquaporins between functioning as highly selective water channels and salt transport channels. The project aims to reveal the molecular pathways that regulate water and salt co-transport, using genetics, molecular biology, and electrophysiology data to decipher how plants regulate and coordinate aquaporin solute transport during growth and in osmotic adjustment. The project has the potential to lead to improvements in crop-plant solute transport traits, enhanced agricultural productivity, and yield stability in saline and water limited environments.
