Heejin Yoo

Heejin Yoo is an Assistant Professor at the School of Biological Sciences, University of Utah, focusing on plant immunity and metabolic regulation. Her research integrates transcriptional, translational, and metabolic dynamics to optimize plant growth-defense trade-offs.

• B.S., Seoul National University
• Ph.D., Purdue University

Research interests include:

• Plant immunity mechanisms (effector-triggered immunity, systemic acquired resistance)
• Metabolic regulation during stress responses
• Salicylic acid biosynthesis and signaling
• Translational reprogramming in plant defense
• Role of plant volatiles in systemic immunity
• Metabolic pathway interactions in disease resistance

Recent publications highlight trends in:

• Metabolic control of plant defense (phenylalanine biosynthesis, salicylic acid pathways)
• Translational and translatome analysis in immunity
• Signal integration via ROS (H2O2 sulfenylation) and amino acids (serine signaling)
• Genetic and enzymatic basis of plant metabolic pathways
• Systemic resistance mechanisms across plant species
• Volatiles-mediated immune responses

She leads a lab investigating molecular interactions between growth and defense systems, employing ribosome profiling and metabolic flux analysis to dissect immune signaling networks.