Shelley Lumba, University of Toronto

Research

parasitic plants germination light signaling plant hormones protein-protein interactions strigolactones strigolactone receptor seed germination

Latest papers

Plants, fungi, and antifungals: A little less talk, a little more action.
PLoS pathogens · 2025 · senior author
HTL/KAI2 signaling substitutes for light to control plant germination.
PLoS genetics · 2024 · senior author
Modulation of fungal phosphate homeostasis by the plant hormone strigolactone.
Molecular cell · 2024 · senior author

All 24 publications

Latest funding

Evolution of signalling networks in germination of parasitic and nonparasitic plants
NSERC · 2023 · Principal investigator
$168,000
High Capacity Microbial Growth Core Facility
NSERC · 2021 · Co-investigator
$39,646
Molecular Dynamics of Strigolactone Receptors in Parasitic Witchweeds
SSHRC · 2018 · Principal investigator
$272,872

All 6 grants and awards

24 publications.

01

Plants, fungi, and antifungals: A little less talk, a little more action.

Ly G, Bradley JM, Bonetta D, Lumba S

PLoS pathogens2025Senior author

DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1013395 PMID: 40763154

02

HTL/KAI2 signaling substitutes for light to control plant germination.

Hountalas JE, Bunsick M, Xu Z, Taylor AA, Pescetto G, Ly G, Boyer FD, McErlean CSP, Lumba S

PLoS genetics2024Senior author

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1011447 PMID: 39432524

03

Modulation of fungal phosphate homeostasis by the plant hormone strigolactone.

Bradley JM, Bunsick M, Ly G, Aquino B, Wang FZ, Holbrook-Smith D, Suginoo S, Bradizza D, Kato N, As'sadiq O, Marsh N, Osada H, Boyer FD, McErlean CSP, Tsuchiya Y, Subramaniam R, Bonetta D, McCourt P, Lumba S

Molecular cell2024Senior author

DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2024.09.004 PMID: 39357514

04

Mixing and matching SMXL proteins to fine-tune strigolactone responses.

Hountalas JE, Lumba S

Molecular plant2024Senior author

DOI: 10.1016/j.molp.2024.06.009 PMID: 38898655

05

Structural analysis of a hormone-bound Striga strigolactone receptor.

Arellano-Saab A, Skarina T, Xu Z, McErlean CSP, Savchenko A, Lumba S, Stogios PJ, McCourt P

Nature plants2023

DOI: 10.1038/s41477-023-01423-y PMID: 37264151

06

A novel strigolactone receptor antagonist provides insights into the structural inhibition, conditioning, and germination of the crop parasite Striga.

Arellano-Saab A, McErlean CSP, Lumba S, Savchenko A, Stogios PJ, McCourt P

The Journal of biological chemistry2022

DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2022.101734 PMID: 35181340

07

Plant hormone signaling: Is upside down right side up?

Bunsick M, McCullough R, McCourt P, Lumba S

Current opinion in plant biology2021Senior author

DOI: 10.1016/j.pbi.2021.102070 PMID: 34166978

08

Three mutations repurpose a plant karrikin receptor to a strigolactone receptor.

Arellano-Saab A, Bunsick M, Al Galib H, Zhao W, Schuetz S, Bradley JM, Xu Z, Adityani C, Subha A, McKay H, de Saint Germain A, Boyer FD, McErlean CSP, Toh S, McCourt P, Stogios PJ, Lumba S

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America2021Senior author

DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2103175118 PMID: 34301902

09

ShHTL7 requires functional brassinosteroid signaling to initiate GA-independent germination.

Bunsick M, Lumba S

Plant signaling & behavior2021Senior author

DOI: 10.1080/15592324.2020.1855845 PMID: 33300428

10

On the outside looking in: roles of endogenous and exogenous strigolactones.

Aquino B, Bradley JM, Lumba S

The Plant journal : for cell and molecular biology2021Senior author

DOI: 10.1111/tpj.15087 PMID: 33215770

Evolution of signalling networks in germination of parasitic and nonparasitic plants

Principal investigatorNSERC2023Discovery Grants Program - Individual

Principal investigators: Lumba, Shelley

Keywords: plant hormones; germination; strigolactones; parasitic plants; protein-protein interactions; light signaling

$168,000

High Capacity Microbial Growth Core Facility

Co-investigatorNSERC2021Research Tools and Instruments

Principal investigators: Guttman, David

$39,646

Molecular Dynamics of Strigolactone Receptors in Parasitic Witchweeds

Principal investigatorSSHRC2018New Frontiers in Research Fund - Exploration

Principal investigators: Lumba, Shelley

Keywords: parasitic plants; strigolactone receptor; seed germination;NMR; protein dynamics; chemical biology; hormone signalling; protein structures

$272,872

High-throughput Replicators for a NextGen Green Revolution

Principal investigatorNSERC2018Research Tools and Instruments

Principal investigators: Lumba, Shelley

$28,066

Molecular mechanisms of dormancy and germination in parasitic and non-parasitic plants

Principal investigatorNSERC2017Discovery Grants Program - Individual

Principal investigators: Lumba, Shelley

$222,000

Molecular mechanisms of dormancy and germination in parasitic and non-parasitic plants

Principal investigatorNSERC2017Discovery Grants Program - Accelerator Supplements

Principal investigators: Lumba, Shelley

$120,000

From CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC funding decisions: CIHR since 2008, NSERC since 1991 and SSHRC since 1998, including their latest published competition results.

Frequent collaborators

Department of Cell & Systems Biology
Department of Chemical Engineering & Applied Chemistry
Science, Faculty of
Cereals and Pulses
Department of Biological Sciences
Molecular Medicine

Co-authors at University of Toronto, colored by department. Thicker lines mean more shared papers; select anyone to open their profile and their own map.

Darrell Desveaux

Department of Cell & Systems Biology

4 shared papers, latest 2019

Alexei Savchenko

Department of Chemical Engineering & Applied Chemistry

3 shared papers, latest 2023

Sonia Gazzarrini

Department of Biological Sciences

2 shared papers, latest 2020

Rajagopal Subramaniam

Cereals and Pulses

2 shared papers, latest 2024

Dario Bonetta

Science, Faculty of

2 shared papers, latest 2025

Alan Moses

Department of Cell & Systems Biology

1 shared papers, latest 2014

Nicholas Provart

Department of Cell & Systems Biology

1 shared papers, latest 2014

Ji-Young Youn

Molecular Medicine

1 shared papers, latest 2014

Write to this professor

A short, specific email works best. This draft uses one of their recent papers; replace the parts in brackets with your own details before sending.

Applying for

Paper to mentionMention their NSERC grant from 2023

Subject: Prospective PhD student: parasitic plants Dear Professor Lumba, My name is [your name], and I am a [your current degree or role] at [your institution]. I am applying for a PhD position starting in [term and year]. I read your paper "Plants, fungi, and antifungals: A little less talk, a little more action." (2025), and it connects closely to my own work on [your research topic]. [One or two sentences on what you did and what you learned.] I also saw your NSERC-funded project "Evolution of signalling networks in germination of parasitic and nonparasitic plants" (2023), and I would be glad to contribute to work in that direction. Are you accepting new PhD students for [term and year]? I have attached my CV and transcripts, and I would be glad to talk at a time that suits you. Thank you for your time. Kind regards, [your name]