Sharon A Kessler

Botany and Plant Pathology

Associate Professer

Phone

765.494.8330

Fax

765.494.0363

Office

WSLR Room B022

Email

kessles@purdue.edu

Personal Website

Dr. Kessler’s research explores the molecular mechanisms behind plant reproduction. In angiosperms, successful pollination depends on intercellular communication between the male gametophyte (also known as the pollen tube) and female cells as the pollen lands on the stigma and sends out a pollen tube that travels through the transmitting tract of the style to reach the ovary. The synergid cells of the female gametophyte (also known as the embryo sac) emit signals to attract pollen tubes and then communicate with the pollen tubes so that they know when to cease tip growth and burst to release the sperm cells so that double fertilization can occur to produce viable seeds. This process is known as pollen tube reception and is the main focus of the Kessler Lab. Our studies with the Arabidopsis thaliana MLO protein NORTIA and the receptor-like kinase FERONIA have shown that pollen tube reception and powdery mildew infection may use similar molecular mechanisms. We are using NORTIA as an anchor molecule to learn more about the intricate signaling mechanism that takes place in the ~30-minute “communication phase” when the pollen tube arrives at the ovule and prepares to release the sperm cells.

A second project in the Kessler Lab uses natural variation in Arabidopsis accessions to explore other components of fertility and ultimately seed yield. Genome wide association studies (GWAS) have revealed candidate loci for genes that may be responsible for determining how many seeds a plant produces. We are currently taking a reverse genetic approach to assay the candidate genes for functions in plant fertility.

Featured research article:

https://ag.purdue.edu/stories/pollination-a-classic-tale-of-romance-love-and-death/

Awards & Honors

(2013) American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB) Women’s Young Investigator Travel Award. 2013 ASPB meeting in Providence, R.I.

Selected Publications

Boachon, B., Lynch, J. H., Ray, S., Yuan, J., Caldo, K., Junker, R. R., . . . Doudareva, N. (2019). Natural fumigation as a mechanism for volatile transport between flower organs. Nature Chemical Biology, (15), 583-588.

Jones, D. S., Yuan, J., Smith, B. E., Willoughby, A. C., Kumimoto, E. L., & Kessler, S. A. (2017). MILDEW RESISTANCE LOCUS O Function in Pollen Tube Reception Is Linked to Its Oligomerization and Subcellular Distribution. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY, 175(1), 172-185. doi:10.1104/pp.17.00523

Davis, T. C., Jones, D. S., Dino, A. J., Cejda, N. I., Yuan, J., Willoughby, A. C., & Kessler, S. A. (2017). Arabidopsis thaliana MLO genes are expressed in discrete domains during reproductive development. PLANT REPRODUCTION, 30(4), 185-195. doi:10.1007/s00497-017-0313-2

Jones, D. S., & Kessler, S. A. (2017). Cell type-dependent localization of MLO proteins. Plant signaling & behavior, 12(11), e1393135. doi:10.1080/15592324.2017.1393135

Lindner, H., Kessler, S. A., Mueller, L. M., Shimosato-Asano, H., Boisson-Dernier, A., & Grossniklaus, U. (2015). TURAN and EVAN Mediate Pollen Tube Reception in Arabidopsis Synergids through Protein Glycosylation. PLOS BIOLOGY, 13(4). doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.1002139

Kessler, S. A., Lindner, H., Jones, D. S., & Grossniklaus, U. (2014). Functional analysis of related CrRLK1L receptor‐like kinases in pollen tube reception. EMBO Reports, 16, 107-115.

Kessler, S. A., & Grossniklaus, U. (2011). She's the boss: signaling in pollen tube reception. Current Opinion in Plant Biology, 14, 622-627.

Kessler, S. A., Shimosato-Asano,, H., Keinath, N. F., Wuest, S. E., Ingram, G., Panstruga, R., & Grossniklaus, U. (2010). Conserved molecular components for pollen tube reception and fungal invasion. Science, 330, 968-971.

Boisson-Dernier, A., Kessler, S. A., & Grossniklaus, U. (2010). The walls have ears: the role of plant CrRLK1Ls in extracellular signal sensing and propagation. The Journal of Experimental Botany, 62, 1581-1591.

The FERONIA receptor-like kinase mediates male-female interactions during pollen tube reception. (2007). Science, 317, 656-660.