Descrizione del progetto
Esaminare come le pareti cellulari delle piante condizionano la coevoluzione pianta-microbo
La parete cellulare delle piante consiste in una struttura complessa che esegue diverse funzioni nell’intero arco della vita della pianta. Il progetto DYNWALL, finanziato dall’UE, mette in discussione l’ipotesi secondo cui la parete agisca da barriera per proteggere le cellule in risposta allo stress biotico, sulla base di lavori precedenti condotti dai ricercatori coinvolti nel progetto. Prendendo come pianta modello l’arabetta comune e il Fusarium oxysporum come patogeno radicale, i ricercatori hanno scoperto che le cellule della pianta non fungono da barriera statica. I ricercatori si avvarranno della bioimmaginografia molecolare e biochimica e di approcci genetici per fornire informazioni rivoluzionarie sui meccanismi molecolari responsabili della regolazione della segnalazione immunitaria innata delle piante. Inoltre, il loro lavoro approfondirà le conoscenze sui meccanismi generali che controllano le interazioni pianta-microbo al di fuori delle membrane plasmatiche.
Obiettivo
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.
Campo scientifico
Parole chiave
Programma(i)
- HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC) Main Programme
Argomento(i)
Meccanismo di finanziamento
HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC GrantsIstituzione ospitante
28006 Madrid
Spagna