Cristina Votta: Plant Physiology First Author

Cristina Votta, co-first author of “ZAXINONE SYNTHASE 2 regulates growth and arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis in rice”

Current Position: PhD student in Biological Sciences and Applied Biotechnologies at the University of Torino, Italy

Education: Master’s Degree in Plant Biotechnology at the University of Torino, Italy

Non-scientific Interests: Reading, Dancing, Nature

Brief bio: Starting from my master’s thesis, I learned and applied molecular and cellular biology methodologies to study arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) symbiosis, a mutualistic association formed between soil fungi and the roots of land plants. Across these years, I investigated the role of zaxinone synthase and its enzymatic product, zaxinone, a novel apocarotenoid, on plant growth and mycorrhization