Stanford University
Showing 1-10 of 24 Results
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Virginia Walbot
Professor of Biology, Emerita
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsOur current focus is on maize anther development to understand how cell fate is specified. We discovered that hypoxia triggers specification of the archesporial (pre-meiotic) cells, and that these cells secrete a small protein MAC1 that patterns the adjacent soma to differentiate as endothecial and secondary parietal cell types. We also discovered a novel class of small RNA: 21-nt and 24-nt phasiRNAs that are exceptionally abundant in anthers and exhibit strict spatiotemporal dynamics.
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Li Wang
Assistant Professor of Biology
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsWe study how the extraordinary diversity of cells and synapses in the brain is generated, organized, and maintained, and how these processes are disrupted in diseases such as neurodevelopmental disorders and brain cancer. By combining single-cell and spatial genomics, lineage tracing, perturbation screens, synaptic proteomics, and machine learning models, we aim to uncover the molecular rules that define neural identity and connectivity.
Our research spans two interrelated themes, each grounded in human biology and driven by cutting-edge technologies. By comparing these processes across species, we aim to uncover both conserved mechanisms and human-specific innovations that define the unique features of the human brain.
