Leonor Boavida

Title:

Assistant Professor

Contact:

Email Address: lboavida@purdue.edu
Office Phone: 765-494-0031
Lab Website Link: https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=POpPAhEAAAAJ&view_op=list_works&sortby=pubdate#Google%20Scholar

Primary Training Group:

Plant Biology

Secondary Training Groups:

Membrane Biology

Research Areas:

Cell and Developmental Biology; Cell-Cell Signaling; Gamete Biology and Plant Fertilization

Current Projects:

The union of a sperm and an egg is one of the most remarkable examples of cell-cell recognition: upon membrane contact, two haploid sex cells or gametes fuse to create a brand new organism. In flowering plants, the occurrence of two separate gametic fusions (double fertilization) add another level of complexity to the cellular interactions that happen during fertilization: twin sperm cells fuse with distinctive efficacy with each of the female gametes, the egg and the central cell to form the zygote and the nourishing endosperm. This means that flowering plants evolved a new set or adapted a pre-existing signal transduction machinery to ensure the precise fusion of two pairs of gametes. However, the molecular partners and signaling pathways that regulate gamete interactions remain unclear. The research in our lab seeks to understand the cellular and molecular basis of plant fertilization. To achieve this goal we use a variety of experimental techniques including fluorescent activated cell sorting, advanced live cell imaging, genetic, molecular and functional genomic tools. Current projects in the lab include: (1) determining the role of Tetraspanin-associated membrane microdomains in gamete function; (2) identifying signaling pathways regulating gamete interactions and double fertilization. This work aims to fulfill our quest to understand basic principles that regulate a fundamental biological process that sustain life and plant diversity. We will then be able to apply this knowledge to develop novel and more efficient strategies aimed to manipulate plant fertilization, introduce desirable reproductive traits or increase and stabilize crop productivity.