Project description
How plant roots distinguish friends from foes
Plants engage in beneficial interactions with soil microorganisms and at the same time they defend against pathogens. The ability to differentiate between these entities is mediated at the root surface by specialised receptor proteins. Elucidating the mechanisms by which these receptors detect microbial signals and initiate appropriate responses is fundamental to plant immunity and symbiosis. With the support of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the SENTINEL project investigates a large and poorly characterised family of plant receptor kinases involved in root-microbe interactions. Researchers will undertake a multidisciplinary approach that also involves functional genomics across multiple plant species to identify novel receptors capable of distinguishing beneficial from harmful microorganisms. Findings will advance understanding of plant immunity and could inform strategies for enhancing crop resistance and promoting beneficial soil partnerships.
Objective
At the root-soil interface, plants must discriminate between symbiotic partners and pathogens. This decision relies mostly on plasma membrane-localized pattern recognition receptors (PRRs), many of which belong to the leucine-rich repeat receptor kinase At the root-soil interface, plants must discriminate between symbiotic partners and pathogens. This decision relies mostly on plasma membrane-localized pattern recognition receptors (PRRs), many of which belong to the leucine-rich repeat receptor kinase (LRR-RK) XII family. Although several LRR-RK XII receptors have been studied in Arabidopsis, most receptors in this large and rapidly evolving clade remain uncharacterized, and little is known about their expression or function in root tissues or microbe perception. This project aims to identify and characterize novel LRR-RK XII receptors involved in microbe perception at the root interface.
This project aims to uncover novel LRR-RK XII receptors involved in root–microbe interactions. I will generate high-resolution, single-cell spatial expression maps of LRR-RK XII receptors in A. thaliana and L. japonicus roots using PHYTOMap, under different conditions, including nutrient starvation, pathogen elicitors, and arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis. Next, I will screen a synthetic receptor library from A. thaliana, S. lycopersicum, and M. truncatula to identify receptors capable of detecting microbial extracts derived from either pathogens or symbionts. Active extracts will be further fractionated to identify bioactive elicitors. Finally, I will functionally characterize promising LRR-RK XII receptors and define their downstream signalling outputs through transcriptomics, phosphoproteomics, and protein interaction studies using inducible auto-active receptor chimera lines. Collectively, these investigations will elucidate the fundamental mechanisms of root immune regulation and microbe perception, while clarifying the signalling outputs of the enigmatic LRR-RK XII family.
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: The European Science Vocabulary.
This project's classification has been human-validated.
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.
This project's classification has been human-validated.
Keywords
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)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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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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NR47UH Norwich
United Kingdom
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