Research Interests:

The role and regulation of phosphoinositide signaling in plant responses to stress.

Selected Publications:

Stevenson, J.M., Perera, I.Y., Heilmann, I., Persson, S.H., Boss, W.F. (2000) Inositol signaling and plant growth. Trends Plant Sci 5: 252-258

Heilmann, I., Perera, I.Y., Gross, W., Boss, W.F. (1999) Changes in phosphoinositide metabolism with days in culture affect signal transduction pathways in Galdieria sulphuraria. Plant Physiol 119: 1331-1339

Perera, I.Y., Heilmann, I., Boss, W.F. (1999) Transient and sustained increases in inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate precede the differential growth response in gravistimulated maize pulvini. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 96: 5838-5844

Heilmann, I., Perera, I.Y., Stevenson, J.M., Boss, W.F. (1999) Sense and sensibility: Inositol phospholipids as mediators of abiotic stress responses. In "Plant Tolerance to Abiotic Stresses in Agriculture: Role of Genetic Engineering" Key JH, Richter AM, eds., NATO workshop, Mragowa, Poland

Heilmann, I., Perera, I.Y., Stevenson, J.M., Ransom, W.D., Gross, W., Boss, W.F. (1998) Inositol lipid signaling: What can we learn from plants? In "Advances in Lipid Research" Sanchez J, Cerda-Olmedo E, Martinez-Force E, eds., University of Sevilla Press, Sevilla, Spain, pp 394-397

Education & Experience:

Postdoctoral Researcher, The University of Maryland, COllege Park, 1991-1993
Ph.D., The University of Illinois, Urbana, 1991
M.S., The University of Illinois, Urbana, 1988
M.Sc., The University of Colombo, Sri Lanka, 1984
B.Sc., The University of Colombo, Sri Lanka, 1982

Contact Details:

Telephone: (919) 515 3544
Fax: (919) 515 3436
Email:imara_perera@ncsu.edu