Abstract:
The root is the plant organ responsible for anchorage and growth within the soil. Rapid penetration of the substrate is essential during early development to ensure survival under environmental stress. Once underground, root growth must continuously adapt to the mechanical properties of the soil, which vary in space and time. Despite existing biophysical models, largely limited to species with thick roots, the molecular mechanisms regulating root growth in compact substrates remain poorly understood. Using the model organism Arabidopsis thaliana, root architectural responses to increasing mechanical resistance were analyzed.

By integrating physiological, genetic, molecular biology, and bioinformatics approaches, molecular mechanisms were identified that enable roots to perceive and respond to mechanical stimuli imposed by hard soils, thereby allowing adaptive growth in mechanically challenging environments.

Bio:
Sabrina Sabatini is full Professor in the Department of Biology and Biotechnology at Sapienza University of Rome. She obtained her Degree in Biological Sciences and a PhD in Genetics and Molecular Biology from Sapienza University. After completing postdoctoral training at the University of Utrecht in the Department of Genetics and Cell Biology, she returned to Sapienza, where she established an independent research group and has been conducting research and teaching activities since 2003.
Her research focuses on the molecular and genetic mechanisms that control plant development, with particular emphasis on the regulation of root meristem activity in Arabidopsis thaliana. Her work has been instrumental in elucidating how plant hormones—especially auxin and cytokinin—and their complex crosstalk regulate stem cell maintenance, cell division, and the transition from cell proliferation to differentiation within the root apical meristem. By integrating genetic, molecular, cellular, and systems-level approaches, her research has revealed how spatial and temporal hormone gradients and transcriptional networks coordinate root growth and organ size.