Joanna Banasiak: Plant Physiology First Author

Joanna Banasiak, co-first author of “A roadmap of plant membrane transporters in arbuscular mycorrhizal and legume-rhizobium symbioses”

Current Position: Assistant Professor in the Department of Plant Molecular Physiology at the Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, PAS Poznan, Poland

Education: PhD in the Laboratory of Molecular and Systems Biology at the Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, PAS Poznan, Poland

Non-scientific Interests: Singing, Bolesław Leśmian’s poetry, theater, hiking

Bio: My scientific adventure has begun in the group of Michał Jasiński at the Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry PAS in Poland and it is carried on to the present day. My research focuses on ATP-Binding Cassette (ABC) proteins, which are evolutionarily ancient, widely distributed and versatile membrane transporters preserved across all living organisms. Since the knowledge about plant ABC proteins, going beyond model Arabidopsis thaliana, is still limited, my attention has turned to ABC transporters in Medicago truncatula – model for agriculturally and economically important legume plants. The latter are rich with compounds of medicinal value such as (iso)flavonoids and are an important source of high-quality protein in human diet. I am especially interested in the study of G-type ABC transporters, which participate in defense response, symbiotic associations and translocation of biologically active molecules. I believe that research of membrane transport processes is of major relevance to improve crops and will provide new avenues towards more sustainable agriculture.