Cyclic nucleotides as second messengers in plants
This project aims to establish cAMP and cGMP as key second messengers in plant signaling by developing optogenetic tools to manipulate their levels and explore their roles in various pathways.
Projectdetails
Introduction
Multicellularity in plants and animals arose independently, as reflected in dramatically different signalling mechanism make-ups. Intracellular signalling’s central paradigm in animals is the concept of ‘second messengers’ - most prominently cAMP and cGMP. Contrastingly, in plants, cAMP/cGMP are not part of mainstream ideas on signalling.
Hypothesis
Our recent, unexpected identification of cAMP and cGMP acting in the canonical signalling for the phytohormone auxin inspired a paradigm-shifting hypothesis that cAMP and cGMP act as largely unappreciated versatile second messengers in multiple plant signalling pathways.
This would dramatically expand the modes of plant intracellular signalling, opening possibilities for additional regulations and crosstalks. It would also provide a new means of targeted engineering of signalling outputs, highly relevant for plant biotechnology.
Proposed Methodology
To systematically explore this radical hypothesis, I propose to generate (opto)genetic tools to:
- Monitor cellular cAMP/GMP levels.
- Specifically manipulate cellular cAMP/GMP levels.
Our vRootchip microfluidics set-up allows us to:
- Survey the plant signalling landscape and identify pathways involving cAMP/GMP.
- Identify thus-far elusive cAMP/cGMP targets.
As a blueprint for the use of the generated tools and knowledge, we plan to:
- Elucidate the role of cGMP in phytohormone jasmonate signalling.
Together, these approaches will establish cAMP/cGMP as bona fide second messengers in plants. We provide a rich resource to investigate their involvement in any chosen signalling mechanism or cellular response, while offering tools to manipulate their signalling output for both fundamental discoveries and targeted applications.
Challenges and Opportunities
This strategy poses considerable intellectual and methodological challenges, but our robust initial results, including the functionality of cAMP/cGMP sensors, show a conceptual breakthrough is feasible. This could dramatically expand our current view on plant signalling and beyond.
Financiële details & Tijdlijn
Financiële details
Subsidiebedrag | € 2.499.706 |
Totale projectbegroting | € 2.499.706 |
Tijdlijn
Startdatum | 1-6-2024 |
Einddatum | 31-5-2029 |
Subsidiejaar | 2024 |
Partners & Locaties
Projectpartners
- INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AUSTRIApenvoerder
Land(en)
Vergelijkbare projecten binnen European Research Council
Project | Regeling | Bedrag | Jaar | Actie |
---|---|---|---|---|
Revealing second messenger functions in bacterial stress response, cell differentiation and natural product biosynthesisThis project aims to explore c-di-AMP functions in Streptomyces to uncover new bacterial signaling principles and identify potential antibiotic targets and biosynthesis triggers. | ERC Starting... | € 1.478.373 | 2022 | Details |
Resolving the mechanism of plant cell expansion at high spatio-temporal resolution.This project aims to use advanced optical nanoscopy and biosensors to investigate cell wall remodeling in plants, enhancing understanding of growth mechanisms and their implications for broader biological processes. | ERC Starting... | € 2.029.368 | 2023 | Details |
Dissecting the role of rapid auxin responses in plant morphogenesisThe MORpH project aims to uncover the role of rapid auxin signaling in regulating cell wall pH and plant morphogenesis, using genetic and imaging techniques in Arabidopsis and Brachypodium distachyon. | ERC Consolid... | € 1.999.660 | 2024 | Details |
Unravelling biophysical signals governing phytohormone production and plant acclimationThis project aims to uncover how mechanical and osmotic signals trigger jasmonate biosynthesis in plants, enhancing our understanding of stress responses and plant acclimation mechanisms. | ERC Consolid... | € 1.984.565 | 2023 | Details |
Unravelling Spatio-temporal Auxin Intracellular Redistribution for Morphogenesis (STARMORPH)STARMORPH aims to decode plant organ morphogenesis through auxin dynamics and tissue mechanics, enhancing agricultural yields and promoting global food security. | ERC Synergy ... | € 10.000.000 | 2025 | Details |
Revealing second messenger functions in bacterial stress response, cell differentiation and natural product biosynthesis
This project aims to explore c-di-AMP functions in Streptomyces to uncover new bacterial signaling principles and identify potential antibiotic targets and biosynthesis triggers.
Resolving the mechanism of plant cell expansion at high spatio-temporal resolution.
This project aims to use advanced optical nanoscopy and biosensors to investigate cell wall remodeling in plants, enhancing understanding of growth mechanisms and their implications for broader biological processes.
Dissecting the role of rapid auxin responses in plant morphogenesis
The MORpH project aims to uncover the role of rapid auxin signaling in regulating cell wall pH and plant morphogenesis, using genetic and imaging techniques in Arabidopsis and Brachypodium distachyon.
Unravelling biophysical signals governing phytohormone production and plant acclimation
This project aims to uncover how mechanical and osmotic signals trigger jasmonate biosynthesis in plants, enhancing our understanding of stress responses and plant acclimation mechanisms.
Unravelling Spatio-temporal Auxin Intracellular Redistribution for Morphogenesis (STARMORPH)
STARMORPH aims to decode plant organ morphogenesis through auxin dynamics and tissue mechanics, enhancing agricultural yields and promoting global food security.