Plant cells differentially use their genetic information to gain their specific function. Libault has a long-term interest in understanding the differential use of the genome between plant cells and its dynamic regulation during plant development and in response to environmental stresses. Gaining this information is essential to understand gene function and the regulation of their expression, and, therefore, to implement well-sounded synthetic biology strategies to enhance desirable crop traits. 

To reach this objective, the Libault lab combines expertise in plant cellular biology, molecular biology, plant-omics, and computational biology to characterize the gene regulatory programs of each plant cell type composing a plant and their response to environmental stresses. Developing and applying a collection of plant single-cell technologies, we are currently working on the following objectives:

• Establish the transcriptomic profiles and reveal the molecular mechanisms controlling gene expression in model and crop plant cell types
• Generate a dynamic picture of the activity of plant genes at the single-cell level during cell differentiation and in response to environmental stresses
• Compare gene expression profiles between plant species