1. Explanation of the work carried per WP.
WP 1. Identification and characterization of the ABA signaling core in Maize and Setaria.
In this WP1 we have:
- Identified the different ABA receptors of maize along with 4 different PP2Cs.
- The amino acid sequence of these proteins has been used to find the Setaria counterparts by bioinformatics surveys in the Phytozome (
http://goo.gl/7v1CcP(s’ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre)) and Setariabase (
http://sviridis.org/(s’ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre)) databases. These are in total 8 ABA receptors, 5 PP2C phosphatases and 2 SnRK2 kinases.
- Produced the different receptors and PP2Cs as active recombinant proteins.
- Performed the biochemical characterization of these proteins.
- Assessed the in planta functionality of Setaria ABA receptors.
The ER has performed all this work in the receiving institution (CSIC). For some of the tasks, the ER had the help of MSc students.
A paper describing these findings is under preparation.
WP 2. Development of new ABA agonists to control stress tolerance in crops.
In this WP2 we have:
- Developed a method for medium (96-well plates) and high (384-well plates) throughput screening of chemical libraries to identify ABA receptor agonists, in collaboration with the BioFarma lab, one of the nodes of the EU-OPENSCREEN network. The method is based on in vitro PP2C-phosphatase assays. Two manuscripts have been accepted for publication in the Methods in Molecular Biology series (Lozano-Juste et al., 2019 and García-Maquilón et al., 2019). The manuscripts will be deposited in open access repositories (bioRxiv) once we get the permit from the editor (tentative date September 2019).
- By using this method we have screened 5,000 molecules and found IRE1, a small molecule able to activate SvPYL1 and ZmPYL1 ABA receptors. We have also identified a new molecule, IRE2, able to inhibit the HAB1 PP2C phosphatase. Two papers are in preparation to publish this work.
- Identified a novel ABA receptor agonist by in silico screening of small molecules in collaboration with Dr. Armando Albert (IQFR-CSIC).
- Evaluated the in vitro and in vivo potency of the different compounds identified.
The ER has performed this WP2 in the receiving institution (IBMCP-CSIC) and visiting the BioFarma lab (USC) and Dr. Armando Albert lab (IQFR-CSIC). For some of the tasks, the ER had the help of MSc students.
WP 3. X-ray studies of PYR/PYL/RCAR proteins with synthetic agonists.
In this WP3 we have:
- Elucidated the crystal structure of one of the new small molecules identified in the previous WP2 in complex with an ABA receptor and a PP2C phosphatase.
- Generated crystals of Setaria and Maize ABA receptors. We will perform the X-ray study of these crystals in the upcoming months.
The ER has performed this WP3 in Dr. Armando Albert lab (IQFR-CSIC). For some of the tasks, the ER had the help of MSc students.
2. Exploitation and dissemination of result.
The support of the MSC action has been referenced and promoted in all publications,
presentations, workshops, public events, outreach activities and any actions related to DrugCrops.
These included:
Meetings:
Invited speaker:
-Biotechnology Havana 2017 “Agricultural Biotechnology in the XXI
Century”
Oral presentations:
-12TH Congress of the International Plant Molecular Biology, Montpellier, France, 2018.
Poster presentations:
XIV RBMP, Salamanca, Spain, 2018.
Attendance:
At The Forefront Of Plant Research, Ghent, Belgium, 2017.
Invited speaker:
Institute of Plant Sciences IPS2, Paris-Saclay, France, 2018.
Universidad de Valencia, 2018.
Universidad de Valencia, 2017.
Publications:
6 publications described in the publications section.
-Exploitation of results and intellectual property.
We have identified small molecules able to activate ABA signaling in crops. The ER is now considering filling a patent for each of those compounds. We are gathering data to submit an application to the CSIC Technology Transfer Office that will assist with the patent applications.
