Topic: Maize Anther Development

Speaker: Prof. Virginia Walbot

Time: 2:00-3:00 PM, 13 April 2026

Venue: Room 111, Lynn Library

Introduction:

Virginia Walbot, an elected member of the Mexican Academy of Sciences and Professor at Stanford University, is a globally renowned plant geneticist, widely recognized as one of the world’s authorities in maize reproductive development and a leading figure in maize genomics and developmental biology. She has devoted over 50 years to plant science research and has had significant international impact.

Professor Walbot’s research focuses on the developmental mechanisms of maize (Zea mays), particularly male germ cell specification and transposon regulation. She led the pioneering “Maize Gene Discovery Project,” making key contributions to maize genome mapping. She systematically elucidated the molecular mechanisms governing anther cell fate specification and meiotic initiation, proposed the hypothesis that hypoxic conditions in maize anthers trigger meiosis, and was among the first to apply single-cell sequencing to construct gene regulatory networks during anther development. In recent years, her laboratory has made major advances in understanding small RNAs, especially phasiRNAs, in regulating anther development and temperature-sensitive male sterility. In recognition of these achievements, she received the 2023 Barbara McClintock Prize in Genetics and Genomics, one of the highest honors in plant genetics. She has published over 300 SCI-indexed papers, including numerous articles in Science and Nature, and was elected a Fellow of AAAS and named a Pioneer Member of ASPB for her distinguished contributions.

Abstract:

Utilizing RNA and protein profiling plus imaging, we have used male sterile mutants to elucidate  the steps in anther cell fate specification and defined key steps in cell differentiation.  Now employing single cell RNA-seq, we have elucidated the trajectories of cell differentiation, determined meiocyte transcriptional changes, and determined when the haploid genome is activated after meiosis.  Surprisingly a class of small RNAs – phased siRNAs – are required for male-fertility, not only in maize and many other plants but also in mammals.  Our current focus is tracking the synthesis then distribution of phasiRNAs within anther lobes and attempting to determine their precise role(s) in cell biology.