Said Hafidh: The Plant Cell First Author

Said Hafidh, co-first author of “LARP6C orchestrates post-transcriptional reprogramming of gene expression during hydration to promote pollen tube guidance”

Current Position: Senior Research Fellow in Pollen Biology Lab of prof. David Honys at the Institute of Experimental Botany, Prague.

Education: PhD Developmental Biology (University of Leicester, UK) and BSc Genetics and Biochemistry (University of Leicester, UK).

Non-scientific Interests: Running, Cycling, Music and Road trip

Brief Bio:

My research focuses on the structural insight and mechanisms of cell-cell signalling of pollen tube secreted proteins elicited following interaction with the female reproductive tissues. These secreted molecules are the pollen specific hallmark factors to guide the pollen tube towards the female embryo sac to perform double fertilization. Their extracellular modification likely define their half-lives, activities and mode of action. Pre- pollen tube-pistil interaction, most of these molecules might be under monosomes-mRNA mediated translational repression and thereafter undergo fast-track translation upon pollen hydration.

To undertake this fascinating interdisciplinary mode of regulation, a good team environment involving multiomics application, RNA-biology, protein biochemistry, improvised cytology and live cell imaging provide better insight on the intricate of plant sex romance and how to generate tools for adequate inter-hybrid seed production.