Daewon Kim: The Plant Cell First Author

Daewon Kim, first author of “The Raf-like MAPKKK INTEGRIN-LINKED KINASE 5 regulates purinergic receptor-mediated innate immunity in Arabidopsis”

Current position: Research Scientist in Dr. Gary Stacey’ Lab, Division of Plant Science and Technology, University of Missouri-Columbia

Education: Ph.D. Gyeongsang National University (GNU)

Non-scientific interests: Listening to music, watching movies, taking pictures, enjoying family

Brief bio: I joined Prof. Stacey’s lab, University of Missouri-Columbia as a postdoctoral fellow in 2016. My research is focused on how plants respond to various abiotic and biotic stresses via purinergic signaling cascades. In a previous study, our team identified the first extracellular ATP (eATP) receptor (P2K1), a purinergic receptor in Arabidopsis plants. Recently, we identified several putative P2K1 substrates using the Kinase Client Assay. In this study, INTEGRIN-LINKED KINASE 5 (ILK5), a Raf-like MAP3 kinase was identified as a purinergic receptor P2K1 substrate and we revealed that ILK5 regulates purinergic receptor-mediated innate immunity in Arabidopsis. Currently, I am studying another P2K1 purinergic receptor interacting candidate that links purinergic signaling cascades and abiotic stress responses in Arabidopsis. We plan to submit our new results for publication soon. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Gary Stacey (University of Missouri).