Rebecca Roston
Associate Professor, MSU-DOE Plant Research Laboratory
Associate Professor, Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Associate Professor, BioMolecular Science Gateway
Location: 106 Plant Biology Lab
Email: rroston@msu.edu
Website: https://www.rostonlab.com/
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Expertise:
Bio
Sunlight is the primary free energy source on Earth, converted by photosynthesis into the chemical energy that underpins our global food, power, and structural economies. While the proteins capturing this light have been studied intensely for decades, significantly less is known about the specialized photosynthetic membranes on which they function. The Roston Lab investigates how plant membranes tolerate environmental stress, dictate growth, and can be optimized to enhance photosynthetic yield. Focusing on the development of land plant photosynthetic membranes and low temperature stress, our team pairs state-of-the-art microscopy and lipidomics with classical biochemistry, molecular biology and plant physiology. By uncovering the molecular mechanisms governing membrane dynamics, our goal is to engineer crops capable of thriving by providing foundational insights to improve agricultural sustainability.
Selected Publications
- 2024. Kenchanmane Raju, S.K., Zhang, Y., Mahboub, S., Ngu, D.W., Qiu, Y., Harmon, F.G., Schnable, J.C. and Roston, R.L. Rhythmic lipid and gene expression responses to chilling in panicoid grasses. Journal of Experimental Botany, 75(18), pp.5790-5804. View Publication
- 2024. Shomo, Z.D., Li, F., Smith, C.N., Edmonds, S.R. and Roston, R.L. From sensing to acclimation: the role of membrane lipid remodeling in plant responses to low temperatures. Plant Physiology, 196(3), pp.1737-1757. View Publication
- 2024. Shomo, Z.D., Mahboub, S., Vanviratikul, H., McCormick, M., Tulyananda, T., Roston, R.L. and Warakanont, J. All members of the Arabidopsis DGAT and PDAT acyltransferase families operate during high and low temperatures. Plant Physiology, 195(1), pp.685-697. View Publication
- 2025. Ojeda-Rivera, J.O., Barnes, A.C., Ainsworth, E.A., Angelovici, R., Basso, B., Brindisi, L.J., Brooks, M.D., Busch, W., Buttelmann, G.L., Castellano, M.J. Chen, J., et. al. Designing a nitrogen-efficient cold-tolerant maize for modern agricultural systems. The Plant Cell, 37(7), p.koaf139. View Publication
- 2026. LaBrant, E.W., Smith, C.N., Torres-Gerena, A.D., Ishimwe, J., Huang, F., Tullis, A., Litterer, L., Modi, B.F., Naldrett, M.J., Altartouri, B. and Roston, R.L. Lipid metabolism and contact site homologs are present at the chloroplast envelope-thylakoid interface. Nature Communications. View Publication
- 2026. Smith, C.N., Haslam, T.M., Feussner, I. and Roston, R.L. Subcellular Lipid Trafficking and Membrane Specialization in Plants. Annual Review of Plant Biology, 77. View Publication
- Google Scholar Link View Publication