Jona Ejike
Research focus
Plasmodesmata (PD) are plant cell wall-located pores, which are unique to the plant kingdom and enable cellular interconnectivity. They are considered to have vital roles in physiology and development, by facilitating cell-to-cell signalling and transport of small molecules like ions and sugars, as well as larger molecules like proteins and RNAs. Despite their relevance, PD transport mechanisms remain elusive.
In my thesis, I aim to identify and characterize PD components contributing to cell-to-cell transport of small molecules and, subsequently, quantify said transport at PD by using state‑of-the-art biosensors.
