Research Director

Miyo T. Morita

Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University
Professor

Outline

Plants utilize gravity as a directional cue to regulate the direction of their growth (gravitropism) so as to be in a suitable position for absorption of water or nutrients, photosynthesis, reproduction, and morphogenesis. In general, plant shoots grow upward (negative gravitropism), whereas roots grow downward (positive gravitropism). Although gravitropism has been studied for over two centuries, molecular mechanisms underlying gravity signaling process in the gravity-sensing cell has remained elusive. The goal of our research is to understand the molecular mechanisms by analyzing structures and functions of proteins involved in the gravity signaling.