Strömvik, Martina

Cell-specific gene regulation and promoter discovery: Using techniques such as laser capture microdissection, RNA-Seq/transcriptomics, transgenics and computational de novo motif discovery, my group studies transcriptional gene regulation of agronomic traits in economically important plants such as soybean and potato.

Adaptation of plants to the Arctic: My research group studies the genomes of arctic plants, and has explored evolutionary adaptive aspects of several genes. These discoveries contribute to understanding the molecular mechanisms behind this remarkable plant adaptation to an incredibly harsh habitat, and to positioning potential sustainable crop improvement in a changing climate.

Bioinformatics software and database development: Plant genomes are in many ways very complex and challenging. Bioinformatics tools tailored for plants are needed. My group has developed several tools including Seeder – an open source de novo motif discovery tool, and SoyXpress – a database for soybean.

Whole-genome sequence analyses of complex polyploid genomes: Plant genomes are highly duplicated and often polyploid. My group analyzes complex whole genome sequences of soybean (diploidized tetraploid) and several potato relatives (diploids, triploids, tetraploids, pentaploids) for structural variations that are linked to the plant’s phenotype and success in adaptation.

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