Sean R. Cutler is an associate professor of plant cell biology

Cell biology

Cell biology is a scientific discipline that studies cells – their physiological properties, their structure, the organelles they contain, interactions with their environment, their life cycle, division and death. This is done both on a microscopic and molecular level...

 and chemistry at the University of California, Riverside

University of California, Riverside

The University of California, Riverside, commonly known as UCR or UC Riverside, is a public research university and one of the ten general campuses of the University of California system. UCR is consistently ranked as one of the most ethnically and economically diverse universities in the United...

. In 2009 Cutler showed how abscisic acid

Abscisic acid

Abscisic acid , also known as abscisin II and dormin, is a plant hormone. ABA functions in many plant developmental processes, including bud dormancy. It is degraded by the enzyme -abscisic acid 8'-hydroxylase.-Function:...

, a naturally-produced plant stress hormone, helps plants survive by inhibiting their growth in times of drought. Cutler also discovered pyrabactin

Pyrabactin

Pyrabactin is a synthetic sulfonamide that mimics abscisic acid , a naturally produced stress hormone in plants that helps them cope with drought conditions by inhibiting growth. ABA can be manufactured for agricultural use; however, ABA is light-sensitive and costly to make. Pyrabactin is...

, a synthetic chemical that mimics abscisic acid. His research was named by Science

Science (journal)

Science is the academic journal of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and is one of the world's top scientific journals....

 magazine as one of the top 10 breakthroughs of the year.

Cutler received his B.A. and M.S. from the University of Toronto

University of Toronto

The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...

, and his Ph.D. from Stanford University

Stanford University

The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...

.

External links

• Sean Cutler - UCR website
• Imagine there’s no hunger... It’s easy if you try (University of California)
• Organic compound comes to the aid of thirsty plants, Royal Society of Chemistry, 01 May 2009
• What if Scientists Didn’t Compete? (New York Times article on Cutler, April 30, 2009)