Wellington Muchero

Which plant traits increase soil carbon sequestration? Empirical evidence from a long-term poplar genetic diversity trial

This study identifies root elemental content as a key trait influencing soil carbon sequestration in a poplar genetic diversity trial.

Climate adaptation in P. trichocarpa: key adaptive loci identified for stomata and leaf traits

This study identifies key genetic loci associated with stomatal and leaf traits in Populus trichocarpa that contribute to climate adaptation, showing smaller stomata in genotypes from arid regions.

Telomere-to-telomere assemblies reveal complex adaptive variation of 3-ketoacyl-CoA-synthases in Populus trichocarpa likely driven by helitrons

The paper uses long-read sequencing to analyze telomere-to-telomere assemblies in Populus trichocarpa, revealing complex KCS gene variation and its association with helitron transposons.

Elemental profiling and genome-wide association mapping reveal genomic variants modulating ionomic composition in Populus trichocarpa leaves

This study identifies genetic loci modulating ionomic composition in Populus trichocarpa leaves using GWAS and multi-platform ionome profiling.

Uncovering the "ZIP code" for bZIP dimers reveals novel motifs, regulatory rules and one billion years of cis-element evolution

The paper develops dDAP-seq to study bZIP heterodimer DNA binding in Arabidopsis, revealing expanded binding preferences and evolutionary origins of cis-elements.

Mutating novel interaction sites in NRP1 reduces SARS-CoV-2 spike protein internalization

This study shows mutating specific cysteine residues in NRP1 reduces SARS-CoV-2 spike protein internalization and viral load in human cells.

Pleiotropic and Epistatic Network-Based Discovery: Integrated Networks for Target Gene Discovery

The paper integrates genomic, metabolomic, and network data to identify target genes involved in lignin biosynthesis/degradation in Populus trichocarpa.