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Genome regulatory mechanisms mediating abscisic acid stress hormone response and stomatal aperture control in plants

Award Number: R35GM165596
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF GENERAL MEDICAL SCIENCES
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 07/10/2026
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 05/31/2031

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Genome regulatory mechanisms mediating abscisic acid stress hormone response and stomatal aperture control in plants - PROJECT SUMMARY The focus of our research program is to understand how organisms coordinate gene and genome activity with a changing and stressful environment. To support a stationary lifestyle, plants evolved sophisticated mechanisms to adjust to environmental stresses including drought, a major challenge to agricultural productivity both domestically and worldwide which negatively impacts human health and nutrition. In our lab, we use the Arabidopsis thaliana guard cell as a model system for investigating the mechanisms that connect environmental conditions to plant genome structure and activity. Guard cells are specialized cells that integrate multiple environmental cues to optimally control the size of microscopic pores on the leaf surface known as stomata. For example, changes in the concentration of the plant hormone abscisic acid (ABA), a key regulator of stress responses, and changes in atmospheric CO2 concentration are well known signals that trigger adjustments in stomatal pore size. Stomatal regulation is essential for minimizing water loss while allowing CO2 uptake from the atmosphere for photosynthesis. This research will build on our prior discoveries to dissect the molecular mechanisms underlying ABA-dependent chromatin remodeling and transcriptome reprogramming. We will deploy a combination of cell-type specific genomics/proteomics assays and physiological studies to investigate the role of transcriptional regulation in the stomatal adaptation to stress and subsequent stress “memory” in plants. Our research will advance a model wherein disparate environmental signals are integrated by gene regulation to optimize stomatal responses. Furthermore, we will explore how the exceptional changes in the osmotic or turgor pressure of guard cells during stomatal movements regulate the structure and function of chromatin in the nucleus. We anticipate that our discoveries will have fundamental significance to the study of transcriptional control by the environment and provide new strategies to improve plant resilience to stress, a topic of major relevance to agriculture and human nutrition.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2026 ( Subtotal = $419,296 )
2026	2026	UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND, COLLEGE PARK	3112 LEE BUILDING	COLLEGE PARK	MD	20742	PRINCE GEORGES	USA	Biomedical Research and Research Training	000	1	7/8/2026	NEW	$419,296
														Subtotal = $419,296

Grand Total All Awards = $419,296

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Genome regulatory mechanisms mediating abscisic acid stress hormone response and stomatal aperture control in plants

Award Number: R35GM165596

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF GENERAL MEDICAL SCIENCES

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 07/10/2026

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 05/31/2031

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