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FRIMEDBIO-Fri prosj.st. med.,helse,biol

Analyzing plant cell wall integrity maintenance and its coordination with plant immunity

Alternative title: Analyse av vedlikeholdsmekanismen for plantecelleveggintegritet og koordinering med planteimmunitet

Awarded: NOK 12.0 mill.

Plants have become experts in adaption to a changing environment since they cannot run away in the face of danger. Adaptation requires constant monitoring of the environment and the plant itself as well as adaptive, tightly controlled changes in molecular processes to ensure survival (also described as plant plasticity). On the molecular level this means perception and integration of mechanical and chemical stimuli followed by generation and modulation of quantitative chemical signals regulating adaptive responses. The available evidence suggests that the plant cell wall integrity (CWI) maintenance mechanism underlies plasticity, since it monitors the functional integrity of cell walls and maintains it by initiating adaptive changes in metabolism. Therefore, it represents an excellent model system to analyse processes responsible for perception of mechanical stimuli and generation of chemical signals regulating adaptation to a changing environment. This project has three objectives. We aim to understand the mode of action of the plant CWI mechanism, how its activity is integrated with other molecular processes helping plants to adapt to a changing environment and to determine if the genes mediating CWI can be used as tools to improve stress resistance of food crops. We will achieve these objectives by using a combination of molecular research methods, greenhouse studies and collaborations with industrial partners.

Since plants cannot run away in the face of danger they have become experts in adaption to a changing environment. Adaptation requires constant monitoring of the environment and the plant itself as well as adaptive, tightly controlled changes in metabolic and cellular processes to ensure survival (also described as plant plasticity). On the molecular level this means perception and integration of mechanical and chemical stimuli followed by generation and modulation of quantitative chemical signals regulating adaptive responses. The available evidence suggests that the plant cell wall integrity (CWI) maintenance mechanism underlies plasticity, since it monitors the functional integrity of cell walls and maintains it by initiating adaptive changes in cell wall and cellular metabolism. Therefore it represents an excellent model system to analyze processes responsible for perception of mechanical stimuli and generation of chemical signals regulating adaptation to a changing environment. The project has three work packages designed to investigate cellular events taking place during CWI maintenance, the mode of action of the mechanism responsible, its integration with other signalling processes and how the genes responsible contribute to plant stress responses. The first one will identify molecular components of the CWI maintenance mechanism through genomics and (phospo)proteomics-based approaches. The second one will characterize changes in cell wall mechanics and signalling molecules during CWI maintenance and plant-pathogen interaction. The third one will investigate coordination between CWI signalling and immunity, the role of the newly identified molecular components in stress responses and their individual molecular mode of action. The project provides an exciting opportunity to understand how plants perceive and translate mechanical stimuli into chemical signals regulating plant development and interaction with environment.

Funding scheme:

FRIMEDBIO-Fri prosj.st. med.,helse,biol

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