Descripción del proyecto
Examinar cómo las paredes celulares de las plantas afectan a la evolución conjunta entre plantas y microbios
La pared celular de las plantas es una estructura compleja que desempeña varias funciones a lo largo de su ciclo vital. El equipo del proyecto DYNWALL, financiado con fondos europeos, rebate la hipótesis de que la pared actúa como una barrera que protege a las células como respuesta al estrés biótico, a partir de los trabajos previos realizados por los investigadores que participan en el proyecto. Los investigadores, utilizando «Arabidopsis thaliana» como planta modelo y «Fusarium oxysporum» como microbio patógeno radicular, descubrieron que la célula de las plantas no actúa como barrera estática. Utilizando metodologías moleculares, bioquímicas, de bioimagenología y genéticas, los investigadores aportarán conocimientos innovadores sobre los mecanismos moleculares que subyacen a la regulación de la señalización inmunitaria innata en las plantas. Asimismo, su labor mejorará la comprensión de los mecanismos generales que controlan las interacciones entre plantas y microbios en el exterior de las membranas plasmáticas.
Objetivo
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.
Ámbito científico
Palabras clave
Programa(s)
- HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC) Main Programme
Régimen de financiación
HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC GrantsInstitución de acogida
28006 Madrid
España