My lab studies genes and signals in cells that regulate the growth and shape of plants. We have discovered several genes that control plant architecture by exerting an influence on stem cells. By identifying the genes that control the number of stem cells in corn plants, for example, we鈥檝e discovered a means of boosting the yield of that vital staple.
David Jackson and colleagues study genes and signals that regulate plant growth and architecture. They are investigating a unique way in which plant cells communicate, by transporting regulatory proteins via small channels called plasmodesmata. These channels, which direct the flow of nutrients and signals through growing tissues, are regulated during development. The team discovered a gene encoding a chaperonin, CCT8, that controls the transport of a transcription factor SHOOTMERISTEMLESS (STM) between cells in the plant stem cell niche, or meristem. STM is critical for stem cell maintenance, and studies of the CCT8 gene indicate that movement of STM between cells is required for this function. The lab also continues to identify other genes that control plant architecture through effects on stem cell maintenance and identity, and their work has implications for crop yields. Recent examples include discovery of a subunit of a heterotrimeric G protein that is conserved throughout animals and plants, and their studies indicate that this gene controls stem cell proliferation. They have found that in plants, the G protein interacts with a completely different class of receptors than in animals. Their discovery helps to explain how signaling from diverse receptors is achieved in plants. This year, they also demonstrated that weak mutations in one of the receptor proteins can enhance seed production in maize, which could lead to yield increases. Separately, the lab has characterized system-wide networks of gene expression, using 鈥渘ext-gen鈥 profiling and chromatin immunoprecipitation methods that have revealed many new hypotheses in developmental networks controlling inflorescence development. They are also developing a collection of maize lines that can drive expression of any reporter or experimental gene in any tissue type鈥攖ools of great interest to maize researchers that are being made available to the broader scientific community, enabling experiments never before possible in crop plants.
David Jackson elected Fellow of the Royal Society
May 27, 2026
The CSHL plant biologist joins an elite group that includes Isaac Newton, Benjamin Franklin, Charles Darwin, Albert Einstein, and Stephen Hawking.
Fostering the future of science
May 20, 2026
The PFF program mentors promising LI high school seniors鈥攊nspiring their curiosity and setting them on a path toward successful scientific careers.
CSHL鈥檚 Partners for the Future: Science鈥檚 new beginnings
April 16, 2026
High school seniors from across Long Island receive world-class training and experience in state-of-the-art labs. Hear their stories.
Uplands Farm: Grounds for discovery
November 12, 2025
How a 12-acre research station is inspiring innovations needed to feed and fuel the world far into the future.
You鈥檝e never seen corn like this before
September 15, 2025
CSHL Professor David Jackson says his lab鈥檚 discovery 鈥渃ould guide research for the next decade.鈥 Corn growers may also want to take notice.
CSHL high schoolers named top Regeneron Scholars
March 3, 2025
CSHL volunteer Ishana Chadha and Partners for the Future participant Keita Takahashi are among the top student scientists in the U.S.
No Two Plants
February 11, 2025
CSHL postdoc鈥檚 experimental short film honors the legacy of Barbara McClintock, a continuing source of inspiration for women and girls in science.
Barbara McClintock鈥檚 corn
June 16, 2024
You鈥檝e heard about Barbara McClintock鈥檚 Nobel Prize-winning research on corn genetics, but what about the corn itself?
Cocktails & Chromosomes: Best shots of 2023
January 16, 2024
After a four-year hiatus, Cocktails & Chromosomes returned in 2023. Relive the past year鈥檚 best moments and see what鈥檚 in store for 2024.
Cocktails & Chromosomes gets corny
August 10, 2023
In the best way possible! CSHL Professor David Jackson talked about corn genetics. Plus, we gave away tickets to Tony Award-winning musical Shucked.
All Publications
2 Sep 2025 | Journal of Experimental Botany
Orosz, Johnathan; Lin, Erica; Torres Ascurra, Yerisf; Kappes, Mikayla; Lindsay, Penelope; Bashyal, Sagar; Everett, Hasani; Gautam, Chandan; Jackson, David; Müller, Lena;
25 Aug 2025 | Developmental Cell | :S1534-5807(25)00500
Xu, Xiaosa; Passalacqua, Michael; Rice, Brian; Demesa-Arevalo, Edgar; Kojima, Mikiko; Takebayashi, Yumiko; Yu, Xingyao; Harris, Benjamin; Liu, Yuchen; Gallavotti, Andrea; Sakakibara, Hitoshi; Gillis, Jesse; Jackson, David;
5 Aug 2025 | New Phytologist
Zhong, Wanshun; Dong, Liang; Zhang, Guangzhong; Li, Zeyu; Wang, Quan; Jackson, David; Yang, Fang;
Aug 2025 | The Plant Journal | 123(4):e70422
Wang, Mixue; Huang, Xuxu; Zheng, Qi; Li, Bin; Xu, Chunhui; Zhang, Zhiming; Tan, Bao-Cai; Jackson, David; Xu, Fang;
23 Jul 2025 | Nature Communications | 16(1):6790
Cahn, Jonathan; Regulski, Michael; Lynn, Jason; Ernst, Evan; de Santis Alves, Cristiane; Ramakrishnan, Srividya; Chougule, Kapeel; Wei, Sharon; Lu, Zhenyuan; Xu, Xiaosa; Ramu, Umamaheswari; Drenkow, Jorg; Danyko, Cassidy; Kramer, Melissa; Seetharam, Arun; Hufford, Matthew; McCombie, W; Ware, Doreen; Jackson, David; Schatz, Michael; Gingeras, Thomas; Martienssen, Robert;
17 Jan 2025 | Molecular Plant | :S1674-2052(25)00033
Liu, Hai-Jun; Liu, Jie; Zhai, Zhiwen; Dai, Mingqiu; Tian, Feng; Wu, Yongrui; Tang, Jihua; Lu, Yanli; Wang, Haiyang; Jackson, David; Yang, Xiaohong; Qin, Feng; Xu, Mingliang; Fernie, Alisdair; Zhang, Zuxin; Yan, Jianbing;
30 Dec 2024 | Nature Communications | 15(1):10854
Cahn, Jonathan; Regulski, Michael; Lynn, Jason; Ernst, Evan; de Santis Alves, Cristiane; Ramakrishnan, Srividya; Chougule, Kapeel; Wei, Sharon; Lu, Zhenyuan; Xu, Xiaosa; Ramu, Umamaheswari; Drenkow, Jorg; Kramer, Melissa; Seetharam, Arun; Hufford, Matthew; McCombie, W; Ware, Doreen; Jackson, David; Schatz, Michael; Gingeras, Thomas; Martienssen, Robert;
7 Nov 2024 | Cell
Yu, Yanhui; Li, Wenqiang; Liu, Yuanfang; Liu, Yanjun; Zhang, Qinzhi; Ouyang, Yidan; Ding, Wenya; Xue, Yu; Zou, Yilin; Yan, Junjun; Jia, Anqiang; Yan, Jiali; Hao, Xinfei; Gou, Yujie; Zhai, Zhaowei; Liu, Longyu; Zheng, Yang; Zhang, Bao; Xu, Jieting; Yang, Ning; Xiao, Yingjie; Zhuo, Lin; Lai, Zhibing; Yin, Ping; Liu, Hai-Jun; Fernie, Alisdair; Jackson, David; Yan, Jianbing;
20 Sep 2024 | Plant Biotechnology Journal
Shen, Xiaomeng; Liu, Lei; Tran, Thu; Ning, Qiang; Li, Manfei; Huang, Liangliang; Zhao, Ran; Li, Yunfu; Qing, Xiangyu; Jackson, David; Bai, Yan; Song, Weibin; Lai, Jinsheng; Zhang, Zuxin; Zhao, Haiming;
11 Sep 2024 | Plant Physiology | :kiae472
Wang, Jinbiao; Zheng, Qi; Zhang, Ruizhong; Huang, Zhaoyu; Wu, Qingyu; Liu, Lei; Ning, Qiang; Jackson, David; Xu, Fang;