About

Caitlin Cridland is a Collegiate Assistant Professor in the Department of Biochemistry at Virginia Tech. She earned her Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Virginia Tech in 2022 and her B.S. in Chemistry from Winthrop University in 2017. Her professional experience includes serving as a Post-doctoral Research Associate in the same department from May 2022 to December 2022 before her current appointment starting in January 2023. Her research focuses on biochemical pathways related to inositol pyrophosphates and their roles in metabolic adaptation, particularly in plants. She has contributed to understanding the mechanisms of inositol pyrophosphate pathways and their implications for phosphate accumulation and metabolic processes. Dr. Cridland has also been involved in teaching biochemistry courses for biotechnology and life sciences students and has been recognized as a Graduate Teaching Scholar for VT-REEL from 2018 to 2020.

Research topics

• Biology
• Biochemistry
• Cell biology
• Chemistry
• Agronomy
• Mathematics education
• Psychology

Selected publications

• Enhancing inositol pyrophosphate accumulation in plants alters growth, phosphate homeostasis, and insect herbivory

  The Plant Journal · 2025-07-01 · 6 citations

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  Phosphate (Pi) is a critical nutrient for plants and is often a limiting factor in food production, as many agricultural soils are limited in available Pi. Inositol pyrophosphates (PP-InsPs) are signaling molecules involved in Pi sensing and jasmonic acid (JA)-regulated plant defense. Here, we report that overexpression of 1,3,4-trisphosphate 5/6-kinase 1 (ITPK1) and the kinase domain of the dual-domain diphosphoinositol pentakisphosphate kinase 2 (VIP2KD) in Arabidopsis thaliana results in unique elevations in PP-InsPs, accompanied by altered leaf growth and senescence patterns, as well as delayed time to flowering. While plants overexpressing ITPK1 and VIP2KD (ITPK1 OX and VIP2KD OX) accumulated significantly lower levels of Pi, transcriptomic and qRT-PCR analysis revealed that these plants showed elevated expression of Pi starvation response genes. Our transcriptomic analysis also revealed ITPK1 OX and VIP2KD OX showed a significant enrichment in differentially expressed genes relating to plant defense and hypoxia. Of the two transgenic types, VIP2KD OX had significantly higher expression of more diverse plant defense-related differentially expressed genes and showed greater resistance to Trichoplusia ni compared to WT and ITPK1 OX plants. ITPK1 OX, although also having elevated PP-InsPs, was fed upon by insect larvae comparably to WT plants. Taken together, our data indicate the elevation of certain PP-InsPs may be a useful strategy for developing new traits in crop plants.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Using native and synthetic genes to disrupt inositol pyrophosphates and phosphate accumulation in plants

  PLANT PHYSIOLOGY · 2024-10-30 · 7 citations

  articleOpen access

  Inositol pyrophosphates are eukaryotic signaling molecules that have been recently identified as key regulators of plant phosphate sensing and homeostasis. Given the importance of phosphate to current and future agronomic practices, we sought to design plants, which could be used to sequester phosphate, as a step in a phytoremediation strategy. To achieve this, we expressed diadenosine and diphosphoinositol polyphosphate phosphohydrolase (DDP1), a yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) enzyme demonstrated to hydrolyze inositol pyrophosphates, in Arabidopsis thaliana and pennycress (Thlaspi arvense), a spring annual cover crop with emerging importance as a biofuel crop. DDP1 expression in Arabidopsis decreased inositol pyrophosphates, activated phosphate starvation response marker genes, and increased phosphate accumulation. These changes corresponded with alterations in plant growth and sensitivity to exogenously applied phosphate. Pennycress plants expressing DDP1 displayed increases in phosphate accumulation, suggesting that these plants could potentially serve to reclaim phosphate from phosphate-polluted soils. We also identified a native Arabidopsis gene, Nucleoside diphosphate-linked moiety X 13 (NUDIX13), which we show encodes an enzyme homologous to DDP1 with similar substrate specificity. Arabidopsis transgenics overexpressing NUDIX13 had lower inositol pyrophosphate levels and displayed phenotypes similar to DDP1-overexpressing transgenics, while nudix13-1 mutants had increased levels of inositol pyrophosphates. Taken together, our data demonstrate that DDP1 and NUDIX13 can be used in strategies to regulate plant inositol pyrophosphates and could serve as potential targets for engineering plants to reclaim phosphate from polluted environments.

  PublisherDOI

• Regulation of inositol 1,2,4,5,6-pentakisphosphate and inositol hexakisphosphate levels in Gossypium hirsutum by IPK1

  Planta · 2023-01-25

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Ten Best Practices for Taking Experiential Learning Online

  The FASEB Journal · 2022-05-01 · 4 citations

  article

  Like many institutions around the world, the COVID‐19 pandemic prompted us to shift our summer 2020 in‐person undergraduate experiential learning program to a remote, virtual format. Here, we present our observations, summarized in ten best practices, for moving a STEM‐focused research experience for undergraduates, experiential learning program or research‐based course to an online format. We will also discuss how our program was originally designed and implemented, and how we adapted our activities to deliver an at‐home research experience that maintained student engagement, mentorship, and a shared sense of community.

  PublisherDOI

• Translational approach to increase phosphate accumulation in two plant species through perturbance of inositol pyrophosphates

  bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) · 2022-05-02

  preprintOpen access

  ABSTRACT Inorganic phosphate (P i ), while indispensable for all biological organisms and a major agricultural macronutrient, is an increasingly limited and nonrenewable resource. Recent studies demonstrate the importance of inositol pyrophosphates (PP-InsPs) in plant P i signaling and homeostasis, however the extent to which PP-InsPs impact plant development is not well understood. We report that transgenic expression of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae enzyme Diadenosine and Diphosphoinositol Polyphosphate Phosphohydrolase (DDP1) in Arabidopsis thaliana and Thlaspi arvense (pennycress) provide a unique translational utility for P i phytoremediation as well as unique germplasm and insight on the long-term impacts of reduced PP-InsPs. Transgenic DDP1 expression in Arabidopsis decreased PP-InsPs, impacted growth and development, and increased P i accumulation leading to P i toxicity. Analysis of P i Starvation Response (PSR) marker genes indicated that the PSR is activated in DDP1 expressing plants. We assessed translational utility through transformation of pennycress, a spring annual cover crop with emerging importance as a biofuel crop, with a DDP1 transgene. Pennycress plants expressing DDP1 showed similar altered P i accumulation phenotypes, suggesting that these plants could potentially serve to remove P i from P i -rich soils. Our study addresses the long-term impacts of PP-InsP reduction on plant growth, as well as establishing a starting material for a unique P i reclaiming cover crop. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT A major challenge to food security is the phosphorus (P) crisis. A global P shortage is imminent based on the misuse of current resources and will be further aggravated by climate change and a lack of policy addressing sustainability. Our work addresses this crisis by investigating the sustained impact of altering inositol pyrophosphates to manipulate plant P accumulation, a strategy that could be used to remediate nutrient-polluted environments.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• A Role for Inositol Pyrophosphates in the Metabolic Adaptations to Low Phosphate in Arabidopsis

  Metabolites · 2021 · 29 citations

  • Chemistry
  • Biochemistry
  • Agronomy

  2 mutants have shorter root hairs and lateral roots, less accumulation of anthocyanin and less accumulation of sulfolipids and galactolipids. However, phosphate starvation response (PSR) gene expression is unaffected. Interestingly, many of these phenotypes are opposite to those exhibited by other mutants with defects in the PP-InsP synthesis pathway. Our results provide insight on the nexus between inositol phosphates and pyrophosphates involved in complex regulatory mechanisms underpinning phosphate homeostasis in plants.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Best practices for taking experiential learning online

  The FASEB Journal · 2021-05-01

  article1st authorCorresponding

  Like many institutions around the world, the COVID‐19 pandemic prompted us to shift our summer 2020 in‐person undergraduate experiential learning program to a remote, virtual format. Here, we present our observations, summarized in 10 best practices, for moving a STEM‐focused research experience for undergraduates, experiential learning program, or research‐based course online. We will also discuss how our program was originally designed and implemented, and how we adapted our activities to deliver an at‐home research experience that maintained student engagement, mentorship, and a shared sense of community.

  PublisherDOI

• Lipid remodeling in response to low phosphate is modulated by inositol pyrophosphates

  The FASEB Journal · 2021-05-01

  article1st authorCorresponding

  Under changing environmental conditions, plants are able to modulate their lipids to respond to varying nutrient availability. Phosphate (Pi) is an essential nutrient for plants, required for plant growth and seed viability. Under Pi stress, plants undergo dynamic morphological and metabolism changes to leverage available Pi, including the modulation of lipids. Plants have been shown to “remodel” their lipid membrane profiles under phosphate starvation, degrading phospholipids in the cell membranes and utilizing the generated phosphorus for essential biological processes. By concomitantly inducing a phospholipid hydrolysis pathway and galactolipid biosynthetic pathway, membrane phospholipids are replaced by non‐phosphorus containing galactolipids and sulfolipids. The inositol phosphate (InsP) signaling pathway is a crucial element of the plant's ability to respond to changing energy conditions. Inositol hexakisphosphate (InsP6) is the most abundant InsP signaling molecule and can be phosphorylated further by VIP kinases, resulting in inositol pyrophosphates (PP‐InsPs). PP‐InsPs have high energy bonds and have been linked to maintaining Pi and energy homeostasis in yeast and plants. Using liquid chromatography‐mass spectrometry and tandem mass spectrometry, we have examined the lipid profiles of three Arabidopsis PP‐InsP mutants, in response to Pi depletion, to address the role of PP‐InsPs in Pi sensing. Our results suggest that PP‐InsPs play a crucial role in Pi sensing and are involved in the regulation of lipid biosynthesis. Furthermore, the changes in the abundance of lipids suggest a possible direction for future seed oil engineering strategies.

  PublisherDOI

• Inositol Pyrophosphate Pathways and Mechanisms: What Can We Learn from Plants?

  Molecules · 2020 · 38 citations

  1st authorCorresponding
  • Biology
  • Cell biology
  • Biochemistry

  ) sensing. This review will provide novel insights into the biosynthetic pathway and bioactivity of these key signaling molecules in plant and human systems.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Ten best practices for taking experiential learning online

  Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education · 2020 · 20 citations

  1st authorCorresponding
  • Psychology
  • Mathematics education

  Like many institutions around the world, the COVID-19 pandemic prompted us to shift our summer 2020 in-person undergraduate experiential learning program to a remote, virtual format. Here, we present our observations, summarized in 10 best practices, for moving a STEM-focused research experience for undergraduates, experiential learning program or research-based course online. We will also discuss how our program was originally designed and implemented, and how we adapted our activities to deliver an at-home research experience that maintained student engagement, mentorship, and a shared sense of community.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Glenda E. Gillaspy

  University of Wisconsin–Madison

  11 shared

• Sarah Phoebe Williams

  Williams (United States)

  8 shared

• Imara Y. Perera

  North Carolina State University

  5 shared

• Branch Craige

  Virginia Tech

  4 shared

• Janet L. Donahue

  Virginia Tech

  4 shared

• Eric Land

  North Carolina State University

  4 shared

• Catherine Freed

  University of Wisconsin–Madison

  3 shared

• Sasha C. Marine

  Research Experiences for Undergraduates

  3 shared