Project description
Examining how plant cell walls affect plant-microbe co-evolution
The plant cell wall is a complex structure that performs several functions throughout a plant’s life cycle. The EU-funded DYNWALL project challenges the assumption that the wall acts as a barrier protecting the cells in response to biotic stress based on previous work conducted by researchers involved in the project. Using Arabidopsis thaliana as a model plant and Fusarium oxysporum as a root pathogen, researchers found that the plant cell does not serve as a static barrier. Using molecular, biochemical, bioimaging and genetics approaches, researchers will provide groundbreaking insights into the molecular mechanisms behind the regulation of innate immune signalling in plants. Furthermore, their work will enhance understanding of the general mechanisms controlling plant-microbe interactions outside the plasma membranes.
Objective
Plants have a strong yet extensible wall as their outermost layer, which is indispensable for the survival of the cell and permits cell adhesion. The plant cell wall (CW) plays an essential role in response to biotic stress, as it constitutes the first contact substrate for microbes. Our findings using the model pathosystem consisting of the plant Arabidopsis thaliana and a root pathogen that can infect it, Fusarium oxysporum (Fo), confirm that the plant CW is not the static barrier it has been seen as until recently. On the contrary, based on our preliminary data, we hypothesize that plant CW remodeling at the subcellular level plays an essential role in the outcome of the plant-microbe interaction, which might explain the sophisticated mechanisms of plant-endophyte (pathogen, neutral or beneficial) co-evolution. Our work has established a foundation of tools that provide a timely and unprecedented opportunity to test this idea. We aim to elucidate the role of root-specific CW composition and its dynamic changes in root-Fo interaction. Then, we will use this knowledge to modulate the CW properties of the root cell layers to reduce Fo pathogenesis while maintaining beneficial endophytism. Through a unique combination of well-established and high-risk/high-gain molecular, biochemical, bioimaging, and genetics approaches, this project will provide groundbreaking insights not only into the molecular mechanisms underlying CW-dependent establishment and regulation of innate immune signaling in plants, but also into general mechanisms that control plant-microbe interaction outside the plasma membranes. The knowledge gained from this work will advance our current understanding of plant-microbe co-evolution. In addition, we will generate innovative methodologies that will be applicable in designing strategies to reduce damage caused by vascular pathogens in crops.
Fields of science
Programme(s)
- HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC) Main Programme
Funding Scheme
HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC GrantsHost institution
28006 Madrid
Spain