Gallavotti Lab
Research Overview
As sessile organisms, plants need to constantly adapt to changes in the surrounding environment, such as the availability of light, nutrients and water, as well as biotic stresses. It is this developmental plasticity that is and will be crucial for adaptability in the face of ever increasing challenges in water availability, temperature stress, and soil quality. Much of a plant’s capacity to respond to the environment is provided by meristems, small groups of undifferentiated self-regenerating stem cells, continuously formed throughout development. Meristem number, position and activity are a major source of variability in the architecture of different plant species, since they determine if, when and how branches and flowers are formed during both vegetative and reproductive development. Plant architecture, extensively modified during the domestication of crop species, still represents a major target of selection in modern breeding. In particular, in cultivated grasses, vegetative and reproductive branching represents a major component of yield.
Our research focuses on identifying the genes and gene networks regulating reproductive meristem development in maize, whose activity is ultimately responsible for producing the majority of world’s grain. Ultimately, a deeper understanding of meristem function can provide new tools for practical applications in agriculture.
In my laboratory, we combine the strength of traditional forward and reverse genetics with molecular biology and genomics. We use maize mutants affected in branch and flower formation to isolate and characterize genes affecting branching in both tassels and ears, the male and female inflorescences of maize.
Contact Information
Waksman Institute
190 Frelinghuysen Road
Gallavotti Lab
Piscataway, NJ 08854-8020
United States
Selected Publications
Complete list of publications: [Google Scholar] [Pubmed]
Transcriptional corepressors in maize maintain meristem development
Gregory, J., Liu, X., Chen, Z., Gallardo, C., Punskovsky, J., Koslow, G., Galli, M., Gallavotti, A. Plant Physiology (2024).
Genetic dissection of cis-regulatory control of ZmWUSCHEL1 expression by type-B RESPONSE REGULATORS
Chen, Z., Cortes, L., Gallavotti, A. Plant Physiology 2024 (194), 2240-2248.
NAKED ENDOSPERM1, NAKED ENDOSPERM2, and OPAQUE2 interact to regulate gene networks in maize endosperm development
Wu, H., Galli, M., Spears, C.J., Zhan, J., Liu, P., Yadegary, R., Dannenhoffer, J.M., Gallavotti, A., Becraft, P.W. The Plant Cell 2024 (39), 19-39.
Double DAP-seq uncovered synergistic DNA binding of interacting bZIP transcription factors
Li, M., Yao, T., Lin, W., Hinckley, W.E., Galli, M., Muchero, W., Gallavotti, A., Chen, J-G., Huang, S-S.C. Nature Communications 2023 (14), 2600.
Recent advances in crop transformation technologies
Chen, Z., Debernardi, J.M., Dubcovsky, J., Gallavotti, A. Nature Plants 2022 (8), 1343-1351.
ZMP recruits and excludes Pol IV–mediated DNA methylation in a site-specific manner
Wang, Y., Le, B.H., Wang, J., You, C., Zhao, Y., Galli, M., Xu, Y., Gallavotti, A., Eulgem, T., Mo, B., Chen, X. Science Advances 2022 (8), eadc9454.
Paternal imprinting of dosage-effect defective1 contributes to seed weight xenia in maize
Dai, D., Mudunkothge, J.S., Galli, M., Char, S.N., Davenport, R., Zhou, X., Gustin, J.L., Spielbauer, G., Zhang, J., Barbazuk, W.B., Yang, B., Gallavotti, A., Settles, M.A. Nature Communications 2022 (13), 5366.
The combination of morphogenic regulators BABY BOOM and GRF-GIF improves maize transformation efficiency
Chen, Z., Debernardi, J.M., Dubcovsky, J., Gallavotti, A. bioRxiv 2022.
Auxin boosts energy generation pathways to fuel pollen maturation in barley
Amanda, D., Frey, F.P., Neumann, U., Przybyl, M., Simura, J., Zhang, Y., Chen, Z., Gallavotti, A., Fernie, A.R., Ljung, K., Acosta, I.F. Current Biology 2022 (32), 1-14.
Mechanisms of temperature-regulated growth and thermotolerance in crop species
Chen, Z., Galli, M., Gallavotti, A. Current Opinion in Plant Biology 2022 (65), 102134.
A cis-regulatory atlas in maize at single-cell resolution
Marand, A., Chen, Z., Gallavotti, A., Schmitz, R.J. Cell 2021 (184), 3041-3045.
Structural variation at the maize WUSCHEL1 locus alters stem cell organization in inflorescences
Chen, Z., Li, W., Gaines, C., Buck, A., Galli, M., Gallavotti, A. Nature Communications 2021 (12), 2378.
Improving architectural traits of maize inflorescences
Chen, Z. and Gallavotti, A. Molecular Breeding 2021 (41), 21.
VviNAC33 promotes organ de‐greening and represses vegetative growth during the vegetative‐to‐mature phase transition in grapevine
D'Inca, E., Cazzaniga, S., Foresti, C., Vitulo, N., Bertini, E., Galli, M., Gallavotti, A., Pezzotti, M., Tornielli, G.B., Zenoni, S. New Phytologist 2021 (231), 726-746.
The FUSED LEAVES1-ADHERENT1 regulatory module is required for maize cuticle development and organ separation
Liu, X., Bourgault, R., Strable, J., Galli, M., Chen, Z., Feng, F., Dong, J., Molina, I., Gallavotti, A. New Phytologist 2021 (229), 388-402.
OsFD4 promotes the rice floral transition via Florigen Activation Complex formation in the shoot apical meristem
Cerise, M., Giaume, F., Galli, M., Khahani, B., Lucas, J., Podico, F., Tavakol, E., Parcy, F., Gallavotti, A., Brambilla, V., Fornara, F. New Phytologist 2021 (229), 429-443.
Mapping regulatory determinants in plants
Galli, M., Feng, F., Gallavotti, A. Frontiers in Genetics 2020 (11), 591194.
Necrotic upper tips1 mimics heat and drought stress and encodes a protoxylem-specific transcription factor in maize
Dong, Z., Xu, Z., Xu, L., Galli, M., Gallavotti, A., Dooner, H.K., Chuck, G. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 2020 (117), 20908-20919.
A synthetic approach reveals a highly sensitive maize auxin response circuit
Baez, R.R., Buckley, Y., Yu, H., Chen, Z., Gallavotti, A., Nemhauser, J., Moss, B.L. Plant Physiology 2020 (182), 1713-1722.
Widespread long-range cis-regulatory elements in the maize genome
Ricci, W.A., Lu, Z., Ji, L., Marand, A.P., Ethridge, C.L., Murphy, N.G., Noshay, J.M., Galli, M., Mejia-Guerra, M.K., Colome-Tatche, M., Johannes, F., Rowley, M.J., Corce, V.G., Zhai, J., Scanlon, M.J., Buckler, E.S., Gallavotti, A., Springer, N.M., Schmitz, R.J., Zhang, X. Nature Plants 2019 (5), 1237-1249.
NEEDLE1 encodes a mitochondria localized ATP-dependent metalloprotease required for thermotolerant maize growth
Liu, Q., Galli, M., Liu, X., Federici, S., Buck, A., Cody, J., Labra, M., Gallavotti, A. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 2019 (116), 19736-19742.
Auxin EvoDevo: Conservation and diversification of genes regulating auxin biosynthesis, transport, and signaling
Matthes, M.S., Best, N.B., Robil, J.M., Malcomber, S., Gallavotti, A., McSteen, P. Molecular Plant 2019 (12), 298-320.
RAMOSA1 ENHANCER LOCUS2-mediated transcriptional repression regulates vegetative and reproductive architecture
Liu, X., Galli, M., Camehl, I. Gallavotti, A. Plant Physiology 2019 (179), 348-363
The DNA binding landscape of the maize AUXIN RESPONSE FACTOR family
Galli, M., Khakar, A., Chen, Z., Lu, Z., Sidharth, S., Joshi, T., Nemhauser, J., Schmitz, R.J., Gallavotti, A. Nature Communications 2018 (9), 4526.
The combined action of duplicated boron transporters is required for maize development in boron deficient conditions
Chatterjee, M., Liu, Q., Menello, C., Galli, M., Gallavotti, A. Genetics 2017 (206), 2041-2051.
Mapping genome-wide transcription factor binding sites using DAP-seq
Bartlett, A., O’Malley, R., Huang, S.C., Galli, M., Nery, J.,Gallavotti, A., Ecker, J.R. Nature Protocols 2017 (12), 1659-1672.
Cistrome and epicistrome features shape the regulatory DNA landscape
O’Malley, R.C., Huang S.C., Song, L., Lewsey, M.G., Bartlett, A., Nery, J.R., Galli, M., Gallavotti, A., Ecker, J.R. Cell 2016 (165), 1280-1292.
Expanding the regulatory network for meristem size in plants
Galli, M. and Gallavotti, A. Trends in Genetics 2016 (32), 372-383
Auxin signaling modules regulate maize inflorescence architecture
Galli, M., Liu, Q., Moss, B., Malcomber, S., Li, W., Gaines, C., Federici, S., Roshkovan, J., Meeley, R., Nemhauser, J., Gallavotti, A. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 2015 (112), 13372-13377.
Positional cloning in maize (Zea mays ssp. mays, Poaceae)
Gallavotti, A. and Whipple, C. Application in Plant Sciences 2015 (3), apps. 1400092
The boron efflux transporter ROTTEN EAR is required for maize inflorescence development and fertility
Chatterjee, M., Tabi, Z., Galli, M., Malcomber, S., Buck, A., Muszynski, M., Gallavotti, A. The Plant Cell 2014 (26), 2962-2977
Transport of boron by the tassel-less1 aquaporin is critical for vegetative and reproductive development in maize
Durbak, A.R., Phillips, K.A., Pike, S., O’Neill, M., Mares, J., Gallavotti, A., Malcomber, S., Gassmann, W., McSteen, P. The Plant Cell 2014(26), 2978-2995
The role of auxin in shaping shoot architecture
Gallavotti, A. Journal of Experimental Botany 2013 (64), 2593-2608
Current Lab Members
Principal Investigator
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Dr. Andrea Gallavotti is a Professor at the Waksman Institute located on the Busch campus of Rutgers University, and a member of the Plant Biology Department. He completed his graduate training at the University of Milan, Italy, under the supervision of Dr. Mario Enrico Pè and was as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of California San Diego in the laboratory of Dr. Robert Schmidt, and at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, under the supervision of Dr. David Jackson.
Alumni
Former Postdoctoral Fellows
- Dr. Jiaqiang Dong
- Dr. Fan Feng
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Dr. Iris Camehl
Leibniz Institute of Vegetable and Ornamental Crops, Grossbeeren, Germany
- Dr. Cecilia Gallardo
- Dr. Wei Li
- Dr. Mithu Chatterjee
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Dr. Xue Liu
Group Leader, Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
Former Research Staff
- Richard Fetterly
Former Research Technicians
- Lisa LaManna
Former Visiting Scientists
- Silvia Federici
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Dr. Weibin Song
Plant Genetics and Breeding, National Maize Improvement Center, China Agricultural University
- Chiara Foresti
- Dr. Lei Sun
Former Graduate Students
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Qiujie Liu
Postdoctoral Researcher, Jorge Dubcovsky lab, University of California, Davis
- Julio Macias
- Jason Gregory
Former Undergraduate Students
- Liz Cortes
- Jessica Roshkovan
- Renyta Moses
- Sarah Trackman
- Kelsie Bouyer
- Samuel Armstrong
- Nur Zawani Nordin
- Alexandra Wells
- Jonathan Kunkel-Jure
- Mariusz Roszkowski
- Shaun Guru
- Aditya Patil
- Ruhi Shah
- Esha Trivedi
- Keemia Abad
- Derek Baluyut
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Jason Punskovsky
Research Assistant, Martin Jonikas lab, Princeton University
- Caitlin Menello
- Gabriel Koslow