About Julia Santiago

Plant life relies on the control and regulation of the cell wall to coordinate growth and development, and to adapt and respond to an ever-changing environment. This ability of plants to sense changes in the composition and mechanical properties of the cell wall can only be explained by the existence of sensing and signaling systems that are capable of interpreting and transducing extracellular signals across the membrane, launching specific functional responses. In our lab we work on different aspects to understand and dissect the molecular mechanisms by which the cell wall monitors and remodels its chemical structure to coordinate and drive plant growth, development and plant defense. We use an integrated approach combining biophysics and detail atomic models, together with genetics and cell biology to dissect the molecular insights of cell wall signaling and remodeling networks.