Daniele Rosado: Plant Physiology First Author

Daniele Rosado, first author of “WRKY transcription factors and ethylene signaling modify root growth during the shade avoidance response”

Current Position: Postdoctoral Fellow in the Pedmale Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, New York, United States.

Education: B.Sc. in Biological Sciences and Ph.D. in Plant Biology from University of Sao Paulo, Brazil

Non-scientific Interests: Music, bouldering, hot beverages and binge watching

Brief bio: I’ve always been puzzled by how plants can use similar sets of genes to grow and to respond to environmental pressures, and still give rise to an amazing diversity of forms and functions. In my Ph.D., I’ve studied the evolution and diversification of a transcription factor family that is key for light responses in plants, having identified some of them as potential targets for crop improvement. I discovered that the transcription factors PIF3 and PIF4 regulate several aspects of tomato plant development and physiology, with effects on tomato fruit production and quality. After my Ph.D., I joined Pedmale Lab at CSHL for my postdoctoral training to study how plants coordinate the development of roots and shoots under suboptimal light conditions. We’ve identified a conserved mechanism in which shade represses root growth by inducing stress responses in the roots of Arabidopsis and of tomato plants. As I pursue the investigations on this theme, I hope one day we can apply this knowledge to increase food production. As a long-term career goal, I want to support students and young researchers from under-represented groups to reach higher positions in industry and academia.