Lindsey Hood

MSc Student

Email: lindsey.hood@ubc.ca
LinkedIn

Project

Spatial transcriptomic analysis of tension wood formation in Populus

Research Interests

In response to gravistimulation, angiosperms produce specialized ‘tension wood’ on the upper side of their stems. Tension wood has distinct chemical and physical characteristics, including fewer water conducting vessels, low lignin content, and a thick gelatinous cell wall layer (G-layer). This specialized wood originates from asymmetrical divisions of the vascular cambium and is thus an ideal model to study how plants coordinate environmental signals with changes in their development. While previous work has focused on transcriptional changes during tension wood formation, methods to date have been unable to distinguish between cell types, instead giving an average of many cells. Increased resolution is required to truly study cambial differentiation to xylem or phloem, where changes occur transiently and in small cell populations. Spatial transcriptomics presents a new method to study tension wood formation at single-cell resolution, incorporating spatial information relevant to cell-cell interactions and regulatory mechanisms.

Education

BSc in Biochemistry | Mount Allison University, Canada (2025)

Selected Publications and Conference Presentations

Hood L*, Grimm L, Joy A, Barnett DA, Waller JC. (2025). Purification and Characterization of a Novel Methionine Aminotransferase Initiating Dimethylsulfoniopropionate Synthesis in Tetraselmis Microalgae Species. Canadian Society of Plant Biologists Annual General Meeting. (Poster Presentation) Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. August 9-12.

Hood L*, Waller JC. (2024). Purification of a Novel L-methionine:2-oxoglutarate Aminotransferase from Tetraselmis. Canadian Society of Plant Biologists Eastern Regional Meeting. (Oral Presentation) Virtual Conference. December 5.

Awards, Grants, Scholarships

  • British Columbia Graduate Scholarship, UBC (2025-2026)
  • Graduating Student Award in Biochemistry, Mount Allison University (2025)
  • Undergraduate Student Research Award, NSERC (2024)
  • Enid F. Webber Family Memorial Bursary, Mount Allison University (2022 – 2025)
  • Karl and Judy Larsen Scholarship, Mount Allison University (2021)