Abstract -  Mitochondrial biogenesis in plants is a complex and tightly regulated process crucial for cellular energy production, metabolic regulation, and stress responses. This process involves the coordinated expression of both nuclear and mitochondrial genomes, the import, proper assembly and maturation of proteins within large protein complexes of the inner membrane. Prone to oxidative damage many of these subunits undergo constant disassembly and turnover of damaged subunits. Using both forward and reverse genetics we have uncovered plant-specific mechanisms that regulate the assembly and turnover of oxidative phosphorylation complexes and thus mitochondrial activity. Understanding the intricate mechanisms that regulate mitochondrial biogenesis provides insights into plant growth, development, and stress adaptation. 

Biography - Monika Murcha (PhD University of Western Australia) was awarded an Australian Research Council postdoctoral fellowship in 2006 at the University of Western Australia followed by an Australian Research Council Future Fellowship in 2014 where she founded her own laboratory at the School of Molecular Sciences (UWA). Monika’s research interests are to understand the components and underlying processes of plant mitochondrial biogenesis. She has worked to decipher the molecular mechanisms that regulate mitochondrial biogenesis, identifying the regulators of protein import, tRNA import and assembly factors that regulate respiratory complex assembly. Mechanisms governing mitochondrial and cellular activity, plant growth and responses to stress.