Recognizing Plant Physiology first authors: Hugues Nziengui

Hugues Nziengui, first author of Root gravitropism is regulated by a crosstalk between para-aminobenzoic acid, ethylene and auxin

Current Position: Independent professional, Saskatoon, SK, Canada

Education: PhD in Plant Breeding and Genetics, National Polytechnic Institute of Lorraine, Nancy, France

Non-scientific Interests: Photography, French learning, cooking, watching movies and soccer games

Brief bio: During my PhD, I studied genetic variability of in vitro regenerated wheat and barley doubled haploid lines under salt stress conditions. Afterward, I moved to the University of Burgundy, Dijon (France), for a postdoctoral position investigating the phylogenetic relationships and the subcellular localization of reticulon proteins in Arabidopsis under the supervision of Prof. Benoît Schoefs. In 2006, I joined the group of Prof. Klaus Palme at the University of Freiburg, Germany, with the objective to improve my understanding of the hormonal control of plant growth and development, focusing on the activities of auxin. Herein, I contributed to elucidate unsuspected role of para-aminobenzoic acid in the auxin-ethylene crosstalk during root gravitropism, and I have developed leadership in genome-wide transcriptome profiling. The latter interest led me to the lab of Prof. Cornelia Spetea Wiklund at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, for deciphering signaling pathways underlying shoot growth promotion by an arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus in Medicago truncatula. Currently, I am working as independent professional in capacity building.