Dr Sara Lopez-Gomollon

I am fascinated about plant gene regulation:  how the organisms respond to internal and external stimuli modifying the expression of genes at transcriptional or posttranscriptional levels.
I try to understand why hybrids are more vigorous or more productive than the parents as they often are. My main project explores the role of RNA silencing and epigenetic mechanisms using tomato as a model plant. The final aim is to gain understanding in plant breeding and improve it to obtain better crops.