Dr. Kevin Begcy
Assistant Professor / Genome Editing and Plant Biotechnology
Dr. Begcy is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Environmental Horticulture at the University of Florida. Dr. Begcy received his Ph.D. in Plant Breeding and Genetics from the University of Nebraska – Lincoln. His research group focuses on understanding plant developmental responses to biotic and abiotic stresses. He uses molecular, biochemical, physiological and genomics/computational tools to elucidate mechanisms used by plants to improve resilience under detrimental conditions. His overall research goal is to elucidate novel pathways and mechanisms that could be used to improve crop performance under unfavorable environmental conditions.
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RESEARCH
Breeding and Genetics
Plants in their natural environment are recurrently exposed to stresses of different origins. Dr. Begcy’s research program focuses on elucidating molecular responses to develop new strategies for crops to overcome environmental stresses.
Major Research Projects
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Molecular mechanisms of stress tolerance.
Environmental stresses are major concerns in modern agriculture. Recurrent stress events are main limitations for crop productivity resulting in significant yield losses annually. With extreme events occurring with increased frequency, and in many cases with greater intensity, there is a critical need for developing crops that are more adapted to variable climates and conditions. Plants display a variety of molecular, physiological and biochemical responses to survive under stressful conditions. Our long-term goal is to elucidate novel signaling mechanisms used by plants to survive under environmental perturbations and use them for improving plant performance. -
Female and male gametophyte development.
Before fertilization is executed in cereals, mechanical movement, wind or animals deposit pollen grains at papillae hairs of feathery stigmata. Pollen grains adhere, hydrate, germinate and their tubes penetrate hairs to grow towards the transmitting tract. Inside the tract they grow towards the ovule and invade the embryo sac to release its sperm cell cargo. Our aim is to elucidate the genetic control of germline cells that will allow exploring the full potential in terms of genetic variability to increase crop resilience to adverse conditions. -
Developmental transitions.
The transition of one developmental stage to the next one is strongly linked with environmental cues. Some interesting data indicate the involvement of epigenetic and genomic regulations in controlling those transitions, for instance the progression from adult vegetative development to reproductive development. However, it is still unknown which genomic components determine the timing of those transitions. We are approaching this question by looking to different reproductive developmental stages in order to elucidate what determines the transition from one stage to another. We aim to elucidate the molecular mechanisms that control reproductive developmental progression.
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TEACHING
Breeding and Genetics and Environmental Horticulture
PLS4105 - GENOME EDITING AND PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY (Elective - Plant Breeding and Genetics Major)
The overall objective of this course is to provide a solid training on the most popular genome editing techniques used in genetic engineering and plant biotechnology.
HOS6932 - METHODS IN PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY (Graduate Level)
The overall objective of this course is to provide basic training on the use of biotechnological tools for plant improvement. Principles, state of the art and applications of tools to improve plant sustainability, performance and tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses are covered.
HOS 4313C - LABORATORY METHODS IN PLANT MOLECULAR BIOLOGY (Undergraduate Level)
This course provides students with hands-on experience in the most basic laboratory methods used to characterize nucleic acid sequences and proteins. Instruction is based on a balanced combination of lectures, direct experimentation, and preparation of lab reports. Students will learn to measure plant genome sizes and use this information for a variety of applications in molecular biology and genomics. Students will also learn to: use current bioinformatics resources to identify specific DNA sequences, design primers for PCR amplification, and clone and sequence amplification products. Labs are designed for the isolation and characterization of DNA, RNA and proteins using standard technologies. In addition, the class will carry out transient and stable plant transformation experiments.
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EDUCATION
- Ph.D. Plant Breeding and Genetics – University of Nebraska – Lincoln
- M.Sc. Genetics and Molecular Biology – University of Campinas
- B.Sc. Biology – University of Atlantico
- PUBLICATIONS