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Environmental control of plant and algae growth
Overview
Research in the Monte lab is focused on how plants and algae adapt to changing light environments. Our long-term goal is to understand how photosynthetic organisms thrive under the wide dynamic range of light conditions they face in nature. We use Arabidopsis, rice and Chlamydomonas and an array of classic and advanced experimental approaches to investigate the fundamental mechanisms governing light-regulated development and growth.
Early responses to light
We employ seedling deetiolation to understand early development in response to light after germination in the underground darkness or in alternating night/day conditions. We have taken different approaches to identify novel regulators of deetiolation, and we are investigating how they function in the control of organ-and cell-specific growth.
Integration of light with other cues
Our studies on the integration of light and circadian clock signals have identified novel convergence molecular mechanisms to time daily growth. Our goal is to understand how light interacts with other internal and environmental cues to optimize growth in changing light conditions.
Chloroplast-to-nucleus retrograde signal
Under stressful high light conditions, retrograde signals provide protection against photo-oxidative damage. We discovered that this inter-organellar communication blocks light-induced transcriptional networks to modify development and minimize exposure to deleterious radiation. Our aim is to discover the genetic mechanisms underlying the retrograde signaling induction of adaptation to high light stress.
Selected Publications
Veciana N, Martín G, Monte E.
A PIF-regulated switch in cell axis growth drives cotyledon expansion through tissue-specific cell expansion and division
(2025) Plant Journal 122(4):e70196.
Quevedo M, Kubalová I, Brun A, Cervela-Cardona L, Monte E, Strand Å.
Retrograde signals control dynamic changes to the plant epigenome
(2025) Nature Communications 16, 6527.
De Silvio MA*, Sánchez-Retuerta C*, Ruiz-Sola MA, Baidukova O, Monte E.
A quick-to-implement and optimized CRISPR-Cas9 protocol to obtain insertional and small indel mutants in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii
(2025) MethodsX doi.org/10.1016/j.mex.2025.103416.
Rovira A*, Veciana N*, Basté-Miquel A, Quevedo M, Locascio A, Yenush L, Toledo-Ortiz G, Leivar P, Monte E.
PIF transcriptional regulators are required for rhythmic stomatal movements
(2024) Nature Communications 15, 4540.
Veciana N*, Martín G*, Leivar P, Monte E.
BBX16 mediates the repression of seedling photomorphogenesis downstream of the GUN1-GLK1 module during retrograde signaling
(2022) New Phytologist 234:93-106.
Gommers CMM, Ruiz-Sola MÁ, Ayats A, Pereira L, Pujol M, Monte E.
GUN1-independent retrograde signaling targets the ethylene pathway to repress photomorphogenesis
(2021) Plant Physiology 185: 67-76.
Martín G*, Veciana N*, Boix M, Rovira A, Henriques R, Monte E.
The photoperiodic response of hypocotyl elongation involves regulation of CDF1 and CDF5 activity
(2020) Physiologia Plantarum 169:480-490.
Martín, G., Rovira, A., Veciana, N., Soy, J., Toledo-Ortiz, G., Gommers, C.M.M., Boix, M., Henriques, R., Minguet, E.G., Alabadí, D., Halliday, K.J., Leivar, P., Monte, E.
Circadian Waves of Transcriptional Repression Shape PIF-Regulated Photoperiod-Responsive Growth in Arabidopsis
(2018) Current Biology, vol. 28 (2), pp. 311-318.e5
Gommers, C.M.M., Monte, E.
Seedling establishment: A dimmer switch-regulated process between dark and light signaling
(2018) Plant Physiology, vol. 176 (2), pp. 1061-1074
Martin, G., Leivar, P., Ludevid, D., Tepperman, J.M., Quail, P.H., Monte, E.
Phytochrome and retrograde signalling pathways converge to antagonistically regulate a light-induced transcriptional network
(2016) Nature Communications, vol. 7, Art. number 11431