BSc, University of Victoria MSc, Indiana University PhD, University of Utah

Cellular, Developmental and Molecular Biology

My research program focuses on understanding how plants control the growth of roots, stems, flowers, and leaves, both in response to environmental stimuli and to form the diversity of shapes that we see in nature. The cells that make up the body of a plant are held together in one place; this means that the shape of a root, leaf, or flower petal is determined by controlling the directions in which cells divide and expand. How, then, are the directions of cell division and cell expansion controlled? Inside of cells there is a system of long, thin, tubular shaped filaments that are crucial for controlling cell division and cell expansion. These filaments, called microtubules, are dynamic in nature; they are constantly lengthening, shortening, and rearranging into different configurations within the cell. My lab investigates how microtubule behavior is regulated and how this regulation, in turn, effects changes in plant growth. We are currently studying a group of microtubule associated proteins known as +TIPs because they bind the growing ends of microtubules. From their position at the active end of the microtubule, +TIPs appear to play important roles as signal relays between microtubules and other proteins or structures in cells. We discovered that members of the EB1 family of +TIPs modulate root responses mechanical cues. The ability of roots to respond appropriately to mechanical cues plays a key role in the fitness of the plant because it determines how effectively the root system can penetrate through the soil in search of water and nutrients. One line of investigation in the lab is aimed at determining how EB1 and microtubules affect root responses to mechanical cues. We are also screening for novel proteins involved in the microtubule-dependant modification of growth and development in plants .

Gleeson, Laura, Shannon Squires, and Sherryl R. Bisgrove (2011). The microtubule associated protein END BINDING 1 represses root responses to mechanical cues. Under revision for Plant Science. Young, R.E. and Bisgrove, S.R. (2011). Microtubule plus end-tracking proteins and their activities in plants. Advances in Plant Biology 2, 95-117. Bisgrove, S.R. (2011) Microtubules and root responses to mechanical impedance and gravity. Americas Journal of Plant Science and Biotechnology 5, 98-106. Bisgrove, Sherryl R., Yuh-Ru Julie Lee, Bo Liu, Nick T. Peters, and Darryl L. Kropf (2008). The microtubule plus-end binding protein EB1 functions in root responses to touch and gravity signals in Arabidopsis. Plant Cell 20, 396-410. Bisgrove, Sherryl R. (2008). The roles of microtubules in tropisms. Plant Science 6:747-755. Bisgrove, S. (2008) Review of Plant Tropisms, S. Gilroy, P.H. Masson eds. Blackwell (2008). Book review published in Plant Science 175, 612-613. Bisgrove, S. (2007) Cytoskeleton and early development in fucoid algae. Journal of Integrative Plant Biology 49, 1192-1198. Bisgrove, S. and D. Kropf (2007) Asymmetric cell divisions: Zygotes of fucoid algae as a model system. Plant Cell Monographs 9, 323-341.