Nasrin Sabooni Presents Poster at ICAR2025 in Ghent (Belgium)

Postdoctoral researcher Nasrin Sabooni represented the Plant Cell Wall Dynamics lab at the 2025 International Conference on Arabidopsis Research (ICAR2025), held in Ghent, Belgium. Nasrin presented a poster titled "Evolutionary and Functional Insights into C2H2 Zinc Finger Transcription Factors in Arabidopsis and Cotton", showcasing her recent work on the comparative genomics of key transcription factors linked to stress adaptation and cell wall regulation.

Her study focuses on specific transcription factors (TFs) known to play central roles in plant development, environmental response, and cell differentiation. By comparing Arabidopsis thaliana and cultivated cotton (Gossypium hirsutum), Nasrin explored how polyploidy-driven expansion in cotton has led to diversification in domain structure, regulatory motifs, and potential biological functions of these TFs.

The work integrates domain analysis, phylogenetic clustering, motif discovery, and expression profiling to uncover patterns of conservation and divergence across species. Particularly striking is the identification of TFs highly expressed during cotton fibre elongation stages, with homologs in Arabidopsis known to mediate cell wall integrity under stress. This functional overlap supports the idea that these transcription factors may underpin conserved stress response pathways and contribute to mechanical robustness in developing tissues.

The poster attracted interest for its implications in sustainable crop improvement, highlighting candidate genes for further validation using qRT-PCR, promoter analysis, and genome editing. As Nasrin puts it:

“Understanding how these transcription factors evolved and function across species helps us design better strategies for stress-resilient crops, including improving fibre quality under challenging conditions.”

We’re proud of Nasrin’s contribution and thrilled to see our work on plant cell wall dynamics featured on an international stage!