dr. KA (Kim) Boutilier

Our Research

Our research is focussed on understanding the molecular-genetic basis for plant regeneration through embryogenesis. We study different types of in vitro regeneration, including embryogenesis from haploid male and female gametophytes (pollen and embryo sac) and embryogenesis from vegetative tissues (somatic embryogenesis), as well as different types of seed-based embryogenesis systems (zygotic embryogenesis, egg cell parthenogenesis, maternal haploid induction). Understanding the role of embryo-identity transcription factors and chromatin modifying proteins in promoting and repressing these developmental programs is a major aspect of our research. We use different model plants (arabidopsis, tomato, Brassica napus) and techniques (CRISPR-mutagenesis, ChIP, IP-MS/MS, microscopy, tissue culture) to obtain a deeper understanding of these processes.

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