Plant Biology

Researchers in the lab of Mary Gehring have developed a gene expression “map” of seed development in the model plant, Arabidopsis thaliana. Their findings reveal in which tissues and cell types genes that determine agriculturally significant traits, such as seed size and nutritional composition, are expressed. The work could guide future efforts to improve crop yield, nutrition, and resilience.

Crops increasingly need to thrive in a broader range of conditions, including drought, salinity, and heat. Traditional plant breeding can select for desirable traits, but is limited by the genetic variation that already exists in plants. Now, Whitehead Institute Member Mary Gehring and colleagues have developed a new chemical method for generating large-scale genetic changes in plants. 

Whitehead Institute Member Mary Gehring has been selected as an Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), one of just 26 scientists appointed in 2024.

Sonia Boor is a postdoc in Whitehead Institute Member Mary Gehring’s lab studying how to make the crop plant pigeon pea more resilient against climate change. We sat down with Sonia to learn more about her and her experiences in and out of the lab.

Carly Martin is developing a detailed map showcasing which genes are turned on or off across cell types during seed development. Step into her world as a graduate student in the Gehring Lab at Whitehead Institute and see — through a combination of video and text — what a typical day is like for her, as she explores innovative ways to enhance agricultural sustainability.

To avoid widespread famine and malnutrition, the world must double current food production by 2050, and do so in the face of climate-driven pressures. That is why a key thrust of the Whitehead Initiative on Biology, Health, and Climate Change focuses on plant seeds, the source of more than two-thirds of calories currently consumed globally.

Researchers from Whitehead Institute Member Jing-Ke Weng’s lab figured out how a newly- discovered plant enzyme performs its unique chemistry, helping plants make a heart-healthy molecule.

Junsik Choi is a postdoc in Whitehead Institute Member Mary Gehring’s lab studying epigenetic inheritance in plants. We sat down with Junsik to learn more about him and his experiences in and out of the lab.