About

Dr. Wendy A. Peer is an Associate Professor in the Department of Environmental Science & Technology at the University of Maryland. Her research focuses on the application of biochemistry, genetics, live cell imaging, phenology, and physiology to address hypothesis-driven questions in plant growth and development. She investigates the roles of plant specialized compounds, including flavonoids and hormones, as well as other plant growth regulators, in plant developmental processes and responses to environmental stimuli. Her work includes the regulation of auxin homeostasis, functions of metal-center proteins, and the development of resistance in potato to thaxtomin. Dr. Peer’s laboratory employs a variety of techniques to explore plant physiology, with current projects examining plant growth regulators, invasiveness, metal-center proteins, flavonoid functions, and plant-microbe interactions. She has contributed to understanding how plant compounds influence development and environmental responses, advancing knowledge in plant biochemistry and physiology.

Research topics

• Biology
• Ecology
• Botany
• Biochemistry
• Computer Science
• Chemistry
• Cell biology
• Pharmacology
• Environmental science

Selected publications

• Cytosolic- and membrane-localized oxidized indole-3-acetic acid formation regulates developmental auxin transients

  PLANT PHYSIOLOGY · 2025-08-01 · 4 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Catabolism of the auxin indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) to terminate cellular responses primarily occurs in three steps: (i) conjugation of IAA to Asp/Glu, (ii) oxidation of the indole ring by DIOXYGENASE FOR AUXIN OXIDATION (DAO), and (iii) amidohydrolase cleavage of Asp/Glu. This study examines if IAA oxidation historically associated with membranes is mediated by DAO isoforms and if the oxidized auxin product (oxIAA) retains nominal functionality. We show that Arabidopsis thaliana DAO1 exhibits both soluble and auxin-dependent plasma membrane association, and that oxIAA exhibits weak "anti-auxin" activity. Both soluble and membrane-associated DAO1 primarily oxidized IAAsp. DAO2 activity was enzymatically similar to DAO1 and occurred where IAA levels were high. DAO1 and DAO2 functioned synergistically in adventitious root formation and in temperature-dependent petal development. In vitro assays showed that oxIAA acts as a molecular glue between repressor auxin/indole-3-acetic acid (AUX/IAA) proteins IAA7 and IAA17 and Transport Inhibitor Response 1 (TIR1) auxin co-receptors but is readily outcompeted by IAA. Biolayer interferometry and yeast degradation assays indicated weak "anti-auxin" activity, as oxIAA enhances IAA7-TIR1 interactions while retarding IAA7 and IAA17 degradation. In a low auxin/quiescent interval that precedes auxin-triggered apical hook opening in etiolated seedlings, IAA7 gain-of-function and loss-of-function mutants exhibited early apical hook opening similar to dao1, and application of oxIAA to etiolated dao1 apical hooks partially rescued the phenotype. The weak "anti-auxin" activity of oxIAA during transitional growth is an important reminder of the evolutionary processes that forge adaptive plant growth responses.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Abiotic Stress

  Oxford University Press eBooks · 2024-05-29

  book-chapterSenior author

  This chapter explores how plants adapt and respond to abiotic stresses in the environment. Like all living organisms, plants are complex biological systems comprising thousands of different genes, proteins, regulatory molecules, signaling agents, and chemical compounds that form hundreds of interlinked pathways and networks. When exposed to unfavourable environmental conditions, this complex interactive system adjusts homeostatically to minimize the negative impacts of stress and maintain metabolic equilibrium. The chapter begins by distinguishing between adaptation and acclimation in relation to abiotic stress. It then describes the various abiotic factors in the environment that can negatively affect plant growth and development. Finally, the chapter considers the specific metabolic, physiological, and anatomical changes that result from signaling pathways and that enable plants to adapt or acclimate to abiotic stress.

  PublisherDOI

• Flowering and Double Fertilization

  Oxford University Press eBooks · 2024-05-29

  book-chapterSenior author

  This chapter assesses flowering and double fertilization. Flowering at the correct time of the year is crucial for the reproductive fitness of the plant. The transition to flowering involves major changes in the pattern of morphogenesis and cell differentiation at the shoot apical meristem (SAM). Ultimately, this process leads to the production of the floral organs: sepals, petals, stamens, and carpels. The process by which the SAM becomes committed to forming flowers is termed floral evocation. Photoperiodism and vernalization are two of the most important mechanisms underlying seasonal responses. Photoperiodism is a response to the length of day or night, while vernalization is the promotion of flowering by prolonged cold temperature. Other signals, such as light quality, ambient temperature, and abiotic stress, are also important external cues for plant development. The chapter also considers pollen development, pollination, and double fertilization in flowering plants.

  PublisherDOI

• Translocation in the Phloem

  Oxford University Press eBooks · 2024-05-29

  book-chapterSenior author

  This chapter studies translocation in the phloem of angiosperms, because most of the research has been conducted on that group of plants. The phloem is the tissue that transports (translocates) the products of photosynthesis, particularly sugars, from mature leaves to areas of growth and storage, including the roots. Along with sugars, the phloem also transmits signals in the form of regulatory molecules and redistributes water and various compounds throughout the plant body. All of these molecules appear to move with the transported sugars. The compounds to be redistributed, some of which initially arrive in the mature leaves via the xylem, can be either transferred out of the leaves without modification or metabolized before redistribution. The fluid that flows through the phloem—the water plus all its solutes—is called phloem sap. The chapter also considers phloem loading, the pressure-flow model, phloem unloading, photosynthate distribution, and the transport of signaling molecules.

  PublisherDOI

• Solute Transport

  Oxford University Press eBooks · 2024-05-29

  book-chapterSenior author

  This chapter assesses the physical and chemical principles that govern the movements of molecules in solution. It shows how these principles apply to membranes and biological systems. The chapter then discusses the molecular mechanisms of transport in living cells and the great variety of membrane transport proteins that are responsible for the particular transport properties of plant cells. It also describes a specialized cell type, the guard cells regulating stomatal opening, where transmembrane ion transport play a vital role. Finally, the chapter examines the pathways that ions take when they enter the root as well as the mechanism of xylem loading, the process whereby ions are released into the tracheary elements of the stele. Because transported substances, including carbohydrates, amino acids, and metals such as iron and zinc, are vital for human nutrition, understanding and manipulating solute transport in plants can contribute solutions to sustainable food production.

  PublisherDOI

• Respiration and Lipid Metabolism

  Oxford University Press eBooks · 2024-05-29

  book-chapterSenior author

  This chapter reviews plant respiration and lipid metabolism. Aerobic respiration is the biological process by which reduced organic compounds are oxidized in a controlled manner. The chapter looks at respiration in its metabolic context, emphasizing the interconnections among the processes involved and the special features that are peculiar to plants. It also relates respiration to recent developments in the understanding of the biochemistry and molecular biology of plant mitochondria and respiratory fluxes in intact plant tissues. The chapter then describes the pathways of lipid biosynthesis that lead to the accumulation of fats and oils, which many plant species use for energy and carbon storage. Finally, it discusses the catabolic pathways involved in the breakdown of lipids and the conversion of their degradation products into sugars that occurs during the germination of fat-storing seeds.

  PublisherDOI

• Cell consciousness: a dissenting opinion

  EMBO Reports · 2024-03-28 · 10 citations

  articleOpen access

  The proponents of CBC claim that all living organisms down to prokaryotes have consciousness. However, their arguments lack empirical evidence or are refuted by established facts. [Image: see text]

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Seed and Fruit Development

  Oxford University Press eBooks · 2024-05-29

  book-chapterSenior author

  This chapter focuses on seed and fruit development and opens with a discussion of the development of the embryo and associated seed structures that protect and nourish the embryo to ensure its viability and distribution to a suitable site to germinate. The chapter goes on to cover seed maturation and desiccation tolerance and finally looks at fruit development and ripening.

  PublisherDOI

• Photosynthesis: The Carbon Reactions

  Oxford University Press eBooks · 2024-05-29 · 5 citations

  book-chapterSenior author

  This chapter begins by analysing the metabolic cycle that incorporates atmospheric CO₂ into organic compounds appropriate for life: the Calvin–Benson cycle. It then considers how the unavoidable phenomenon of photorespiration—a consequence of a side reaction with molecular oxygen—releases part of the assimilated CO₂. Because photorespiration decreases the efficiency of photosynthetic CO₂ assimilation, the chapter also examines biochemical mechanisms for mitigating the loss of CO₂: CO₂ pumps, C₄ metabolism, and crassulacean acid metabolism. Finally, the chapter briefly looks at the formation of the two major products of the photosynthetic CO₂ fixation. These are starch, the reserve polysaccharide that accumulates transiently in chloroplasts, and sucrose, the disaccharide that is exported from leaves to developing and storage organs of the plant.

  PublisherDOI

• Plant and Cell Architecture

  Oxford University Press eBooks · 2024-05-29

  book-chapterSenior author

  This chapter provides an overview of the basic anatomy and cell biology of plants, from the macroscopic structure of organs and tissues to the microscopic ultrastructure of cellular organelles. It begins by looking at the unifying principles of plant life processes. All plants convert solar energy to chemical energy. They use growth instead of motility to obtain resources, and have vascular systems, rigid structures, and mechanisms to avoid desiccation on land. Plants develop from embryos sustained and protected by tissues from the mother plant. The chapter then explains plant classification and plant life cycles, before presenting an overview of plant structure. It describes plant cell types, plant cell organelles, the plant cytoskeleton, the nucleus, the endomembrane system, independently dividing semiautonomous organelles, and cell cycle regulation.

  PublisherDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Angus S. Murphy

  127 shared

• Joshua J. Blakeslee

  50 shared

• Anindita Bandyopadhyay

  Washington University in St. Louis

  38 shared

• Haibing Yang

  Nanjing Medical University

  31 shared

• Elizabeth L. Richards

  Cardiff University

  29 shared

• Boosaree Titapiwatanakun

  20 shared

• Lincoln Taiz

  19 shared

• Roberto A. Gaxiola

  Arizona State University

  19 shared

Labs

• Physiology and Genetics LaboratoryPI

Education

• Ph.D., Biology

  University of California Santa Cruz

• B.S. (honors), Biology

  California State University Bakersfield

• B.S. (honors), Chemistry

  California State University Bakersfield

Awards & honors

• Excellence in Extension Award
• Excellence in Instruction Award
• Excellence in Research Award