Daniel Rexin
Doctor of Philosophy, (Plant Biology)
Study Completed: 2016
College of Sciences
Citation
Thesis Title
A molecular genetic analysis of the requirement of TOR kinase signalling for plant growth
Read article at Massey Research Online: 
Eukaryote organisms have developed a highly complex mechanism to incorporate signals from developmental and environmental cues to modulate their growth. The Target Of Rapamycin (TOR) pathway, a highly conserved protein kinase, was identified as a central integrator of this growth regulation, which coordinates a plethora of cellular processes to orchestrate cell division and proliferation. Mr Rexin’s research sought to explore how the TOR function is realised in plants. The characterisation of two central elements of the TOR pathway, RAPTOR and LST8, revealed novel plant-specific aspects of TOR-mediated regulation of growth and development. A functional genetic analysis showed fundamental differences in the requirement of these two genes for TOR activity compared to animal and fungi systems. His findings add to the understanding of growth regulation in plants with the potential prospect to improve industrial biomass production achieved in agriculture and forestry.
Supervisors
Associate Professor Paul Dijkwel
Dr Bruce Veit