Project description
Unlocking the molecular triggers of plant regeneration
Plants possess a remarkable ability to regenerate damaged tissues – a capacity with profound implications for agriculture and basic biology, yet whose molecular basis remains poorly understood. How wound signals are perceived and translated into the cellular programmes that drive regeneration are a mystery. With the support of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the ULTRA Plants project aims to address this by investigating a family of stress-response proteins that rapidly enter the cell nucleus upon wounding and appear to activate regeneration. Using pharmacological screening, ‘forward genetics’, cutting-edge spatial transcriptomics and computational approaches, ULTRA Plants aims to establish a new molecular framework for wound-induced regeneration, enabling innovative strategies to improve propagation in difficult-to-regenerate crop species.
Objective
Regeneration is a vital survival strategy that enables injured plants to recover from damage, and it is an indispensable tool in agriculture for efficient propagation. This remarkable capacity relies on extraordinary developmental plasticity, allowing plants to regenerate tissues and organs through wound-induced pathways. However, little is known about how wounding triggers plant regeneration, creating a fundamental bottleneck for both basic science and applied innovation.
The “ULTRA Plants” project tackles this challenge by addressing a bold question: how do plants perceive wound signals to activate downstream cascades driving regeneration? Proof-of-concept data suggest that HEAT SHOCK FACTOR A1s (HSFA1s), the master regulators of stress responses, rapidly translocate into the nucleus upon wounding and promote regeneration. I therefore hypothesize that wound-induced HSFA1s play a key role in transmitting wound signals to trigger plant regeneration.
To test this theory, I will (I) identify signaling molecules and their receptors upstream of HSFA1s via pharmacological screening, (II) dissect regulatory mechanisms driving HSFA1 nuclear translocation through forward genetics, and (III) map HSFA1-centered transcriptional dynamics at single-cell resolution using state-of-the-art spatial transcriptomics. These results will establish a new framework for understanding wound signals and provide innovative strategies to improve plant regeneration.
Building on the exciting preliminary data, I will integrate cutting-edge technologies with leading expertise of my host lab to transform our view of plant developmental plasticity and unlock regeneration potential in recalcitrant plants. On a personal level, this fellowship will provide me with advanced training in genetics, systems biology, computational approaches, together with structured career development, thereby equipping me to independently lead innovative research at the interface of plant development and biotechnology.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
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CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
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Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
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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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
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Topic(s)
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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
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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.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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Call for proposal
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Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2025-PF
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9052 ZWIJNAARDE - GENT
Belgium
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.