MSU-DOE Plant Research Laboratory

Members of the Plant Research Laboratory past and present gathered to celebrate the 60th anniversary. The event brought over 100 people to campus to share in this momentous occasion, celebrating a legacy of research, innovation, and community. natsci.msu.edu/news/2025/2025…

Join Scott Jackson of the University of Georgies for his seminar titled "Crop Design- Integrating Genomics, Breeding, and Synthetic Biology" on Monday, March 23rd, 2026 at 4:00 PM in the Plant Biology Labs, room 247. #event-details/7b911f85-781d-4313-a160-07b904481906" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">events.natsci.msu.edu/#event-details…

Ever stared down a pile of laundry that feels insurmountable? Plant cells can relate: when unfolded proteins pile up in the ER, chronic stress can lead to programmed cell death. Learn more in a new review from the @msubrandizzilab in @TrendsPlantSci: buff.ly/n5myZ8r

Join Jenn Brophy of Stanford University for her seminar titled "Synthetic Genetic Circuit Tools for Understanding and Engineering Plant Resilience" on Monday, March 16th @ 4:00 PM in the Plant Biology Laboratories, room 247. #event-details/4bf5d95a-0dbc-41f2-9e3a-c52ff16fbcdb" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">events.natsci.msu.edu/index.aspx#eve…

Photorespiration is a dynamic metabolic process, contributing to energy balance, stress resilience, and nutrient flux. Read more in the article titled "Understanding plant resilience by putting photosynthesis and photorespiration in the metabolic context" pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41784799/

Join Mariana Silva Artur of Wageningen University & Research for her seminar titled "Dry and Durable: How Seed Maturation Bridges Evolution and Resilience" on Monday, March 9th, 2026 at 4:00 PM in the Plant Biology Labs, room 247.

Join Rory Craig of the University of Melbourne for his seminar titled "Auxenochlorella as a New Algal Model for Plant Biology and Bioengineering" on Monday, February 23rd, 2026 at 4:00 PM in the Plant Biology Labs, room 247.

When importing nuclear-encoded precursor proteins into chloroplasts, chaperones are essential. Check out this article titled "Functional Interaction Between Toc75 POTRA1 Domain and Tic22‐III in the Intermembrane Space During Chloroplast Protein Import" pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12…

Protein structure serves as a critical bridge between sequence and functional annotation. Check out this new article published by The Plant Cell titled "Structure-Guided Discovery of Protein Functions in Plants". academic.oup.com/plcell/advance…

The emission of isoprene from plants, first discovered in the 1950s, was relatively unknown in the science community until the 1990s. Check out this article titled "Revisiting plant isoprene emission: From atmospheric chemistry to plant stress resilience" sciencedirect.com/science/articl…

Join us for our Tuesday Noon Seminar series with Anne Steensma for her seminar titled "Extremophile Algae for Biotechnology and More" on Tuesday, February 17th at 12:00 PM at the Plant Biology Labs, room 168. #event-details/20d93cb3-c5ec-4e66-bb8f-1eaf50254b59" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">events.natsci.msu.edu/#event-details…

Join us on Monday, February 16th at 4:00 PM for our MPS Graduate Student Seminar with Hannah Cushman and Michael Ozolins! Click the link below for more information and details regarding their respective topics. We hope to see you there! #event-details/3f828627-a04a-4d41-ae33-632b3c922222" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">events.natsci.msu.edu/#event-details…

Metabolite-mediated feedback represents a rather unexplored mode of metabolic regulation in plants and other organisms. Check out this new article titled "Metabolite control of enzyme activity links stress to biosynthetic regulation". Read more here: pnas.org/doi/full/10.10…

Join Lena Mueller of Salk Institute for her seminar titled "Multiple CLAVATA signaling pathways regulate arbuscular mycorrhiza symbiosis" on Monday, February 9th, 2026 at 4:00 PM in the Plant Biology Labs, room 247.

We are excited to welcome three new members to the PRL office staff team: Kelly Branigan, Geoffrey Grzesiak and Darlene Witman! These three individuals have proven to be powerhouses each in their own right; check out this new article to learn more! prl.natsci.msu.edu/news-and-event…

Join Laurie Leoneli of the University of Illinois for her seminar titled "Exploring the Understory: How Plants Optimize Photosynthesis in the Shade." on Monday, February 2nd, 2026 at 4:00 PM in the Plant Biology Labs, room 247.

Computational biology allows researchers to look at models that would never exist in nature but still offer valuable insights into the world around us. Check out this new article by Kara Headley that delves into the formation of cell membranes. prl.natsci.msu.edu/news-and-event…

Join us for our Tuesday Noon Seminar Series with Jingcheng Huang from Kramer Lab as he presents his seminar "Monitoring Photosynthetic Dynamics in Real-World Conditions" on Tuesday, January 27th, 2026 at 12:00 PM in the Plant Biology Labs, room 168.

Join Joseph Lynch of the University of Missouri for his seminar titled "Dual Pathways: Catalysis and Control in Cytosolic Phenylalanine Biosynthesis" on Monday, January 26th, 2026 @ 4:00 PM in the Plant Biology Labs, room 247.

Damien Sheppard is a vital piece in the ever-moving Plant Research Lab machine. Check out this new article detailing his journey before and throughout his time at MSU, and how the experience has impacted him both in and out of the lab.