Dr. Peter McCourt and his research team have embarked on a program to develop unique genetic and genomic screening technologies in order to identify genes that regulate plant hormone signal transduction in Arabidopsis. In plants, hormones influence many diverse developmental processes ranging from seed germination to root, shoot and flower formation. The research is focused on studing the plant hormone abscisic acid (ABA) in Arabidopsis as a model to understanding hormone signaling in plants. Mutations that alter the signal transduction of this plant growth regulator, ABA, should be viable. Most screens that alter the response of Arabidopsis to ABA can be performed at the level of germination on petri plates. Thus, large numbers of mutagenized seed can be screened with relative ease under conditions where hormone concentrations can be precisely controlled. Although the team is primarily interested in ABA they found that many of the genetic screens identify mutations that affect other hormone signaling pathways including gibberellin (GA) and ethylene. One of the outcomes of Dr. McCourt’s research program is to determine how to mutate these genes to enhance growth in other plants and crop species thereby improving crop quality and production and the development of plant biotechnologies. His research has lead to commercialization of some of these technologies through a partnership with Performance Plants Inc. The technology involves inhibitors of naturally-occurring farnesyl transferase which are used to enhance drought tolerance in the plants, improve resistance to senescence and modify growth habit. In 2009, Dr. McCourt and a team of researchers from Canada, the United States and Spain used a novel approach called chemical genomics to identify a synthetic chemical, designated pyrabactin, which specifically activates an ABA receptor in Arabidopsis. With pyrabactin in hand it was possible to directly identify the ABA receptor.

Dr. McCourt holds the Canada Research Chair in Plant Molecular Biology since 2003. He is an integral member of the University of Toronto’s Arabidopsis Research Group (ARG). Dr. McCourt completed his PhD at the Michigan State University in 1986.