Deciphering how plants control water and salt co-transport

Crop growth depends on water uptake and transport, and the rapid movement of water across plant cellmembranes requires aquaporins. Preliminary data indicates that a series of signals can switch aquaporinsbetween functioning as highly selective water channels and salt transport channels. The project aims to reveal themolecular pathways that regulate water and salt co-transport, using genetics, molecular biology, andelectrophysiology data to decipher how plants regulate and coordinate aquaporin solute transport during growthand in osmotic adjustment. The goal is to substantially deepen understanding of how cells regulate solutetransport, which is relevant to agricultural productivity and food security.