Objective
In contrast to animals, in which tissue proliferation in adult individuals is often pathological and deleterious, plants have evolved an indefinite growth habit. A remarkable but under-investigated example is the thickening of plant stems and roots: It is a purely postembryonic growth process and the group of stem cells responsible – the cambium – is derived from and embedded in fully differentiated tissues. Consequently, lateral plant growth has to integrate and overcome developmental and physical constraints imposed by participating tissues. This is especially significant in the context of the extracellular matrix, which fixes the position of plant cells relative to each other and provides mechanical support for the plant body. However, how cells sense and modulate their environment during this process is completely unknown. Here, I will leverage the unique growth mode of plants and explore the process of lateral stem growth in the reference plant Arabidopsis thaliana as a paradigm for postembryonic growth and tissue remodelling. Thereby I will address the fundamental question of how cell identities are reprogrammed in vivo and how basic cellular functions like interaction between cells and their matrix contribute to this process. To achieve this I will i) decipher the influence of the extracellular matrix on stem cell activity by cell type-specific modulation of matrix integrity; ii) decode the complex role of brassinosteroid hormones by tuning their activities during stem cell initiation; iii) record cell fate signatures by high-resolution 4-D expression maps for cambium subdomains; and iv) Identify novel signalling cascades connecting the extracellular matrix with underlying cells by forward genetics. Together my results will provide unprecedented insight into lateral stem growth – a process responsible for the accumulation of wood and a large proportion of terrestrial biomass and will reveal fundamental concepts of growth processes in adult organisms.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-vocabularies/euroscivoc.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-vocabularies/euroscivoc.
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules proteins
- medical and health sciences medical biotechnology cells technologies stem cells
- natural sciences chemical sciences organic chemistry aliphatic compounds
- natural sciences physical sciences optics spectroscopy
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Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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H2020-EU.1.1. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
ERC-COG - Consolidator Grant
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2014-CoG
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
69117 Heidelberg
Germany
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.