Sarah Liljegren
Assistant Professor of Biology
Phone Number: (662)915-1409
Email: liljegren@olemiss.edu
http://olemiss.edu/depts/biology/people/faculty/Liljegren/index.php

Key Words: Cell Signaling, Plant Development, Kinases

Research Description: The focus of the Liljegren lab is to investigate how membrane trafficking and cell signaling control key aspects of plant development. We have discovered that an Arabidopsis ARF GAP, NEVERSHED, is essential for organ abscission. Using nev mutant flowers as a sensitized genetic background, we have identified a set of receptor-like kinases--EVERSHED, SERK1, and CAST AWAY--that act as spatial and temporal inhibitors of organ separation. We are currently testing whether these kinases inhibit abscission by affecting the localization and activity of HAESA and HAESA-LIKE2, a pair of receptor-like kinases known to activate organ separation. We are also analyzing the broader roles of NEVERSHED and a related ARF GAP in regulating membrane traffic during root and meristem development.

Honors Theses:

Bonvillain, Anna Catherine (2022) The Use of Embark in Teaching about Genetic Relatedness

Trammel, Victoria Lynn (2022) The Use of Embark in Teaching about Genetic Relatedness

Kissel, Alexandra (2020) The Embark® Protocol: Dog Genomics in Genetics Laboratories (full text)

Goodreau, Landon (2020) Use of Embark Database and An Active Learning Protocol in a High School Classroom (full text)

Anderson, Katherine T. (2019) Analysis of Septum Defects in Arabidopsis Organ Boundary Mutants (full text)

Mason, Jack (2019) Differential analysis of gene expression in Arabidopsis thaliana organ boundary mutants (full text)

Childers, Katelyn (2018) Fruit Structure in Arabidopsis Thaliana Organ Boundary Mutants (full text)

Leary, James Luke (2018) Characterizing the Effects of stm and ath1 Mutations on Floral Organ Development in Arabidopsis thaliana (full text)

Malone, Hayden (2018) Characterizing the Effects of Mutations in STM and ATH1 on Floral Organ Development in Arabidopsis thaliana (full text)

Roth, Hunter L (2018) The Effects of Mutations in the ATH1 and STM Genes on Sepal, Petal, and Stamen Abscission in Arabidopsis thaliana Plants (full text)

Raybourn, Darby (2016) Investigation of the expression of the HAESA receptor-like kinase as regulated by the STM and ATH1 homeodomain transcription factors in Arabidopsis thaliana. (full text)