Epigenetic mechanisms controlling hypoxia and pathogen Stress responses in plants

Project Information

EpiStress

Grant agreement ID: 897783

DOI

10.3030/897783

Project closed

EC signature date 28 February 2020

Start date 1 September 2021

End date 31 August 2023

Funded under

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Total cost

€ 184 590,72

EU contribution

€ 184 590,72

Coordinated by

NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF IRELAND MAYNOOTH
Ireland

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - EpiStress (Epigenetic mechanisms controlling hypoxia and pathogen Stress responses in plants)

Reporting period: 2021-09-01 to 2023-08-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

-What is the problem/issue being addressed?
Climate change is a global problem that is drastically changing our planet. Increased precipitation in Northern Europe has caused major crop losses, in part due to the low oxygen levels (hypoxia) experienced by the waterlogged roots. Hypoxia is also known to play critical roles for appropriate development in parts of the plant that are naturally hypoxic. The N-degron pathway is a major mechanism that controls the response to hypoxia in plants by regulating the accumulation of a set of master transcription factors. However, transcriptional analysis of N-degron mutants has suggested that another unknown mechanism is also required to regulate hypoxia responses in plants. This action aimed to discover novel pathways that regulate hypoxia responses in plants.

-Why is it important for society?
The European Environment Agency has predicted that annual precipitation will continue to increase in parts of Northern Europe leading to increased risk of flooding, and causing major challenges to agricultural industries. Identifying crops that can adapt to climate change is an urgent issue for modern society. Indeed, climate action is one of the UN Sustainable Development Goals and HORIZON 2020 Societal Challenge 2 identifies ‘food security and sustainable agriculture’ as a research priority, with agricultural climate change adaptation strategies being key to this goal. EpiStress has provided information regarding a novel pathway involved in the regulation of hypoxia responses, which are important for waterlogging resilience in plants. This could lead to the future identification of new breeding targets for climate change adaptation in crops.

-What are the overall objectives/ conclusions of the action?
The key research objective of this project was to identify novel mechanisms that are involved in hypoxia responses in plants using the model plant, Arabidopsis thaliana. Another key objective was identifying novel mechanisms involved in hypoxia responses using the model crop, barley. Additional key objectives included training/transfer of knowledge and dissemination/communication. This project was successful in identifying novel interactions between a known pathway controlling hypoxia responses in plants and a previously unlinked pathway that is involved in regulating gene transcription. Furthermore, transcriptional signatures of waterlogging responses were identified in barley that uncovered mechanisms of hypoxia response in this crop. The research fellow, Dr. Ailbhe Brazel, also received training for a number of new skill sets and transferred this knowledge to members of her host institution, Maynooth University. Finally, Dr. Brazel disseminated and communicated the research findings through publication, presentation at scientific meetings, posts on social media and public talks.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

A novel genetic interaction has been identified between the plant N-degron pathway, which is already known to control hypoxia responses, and a pathway involved in regulating gene transcription, with major implications for plant development. In addition, transcriptional analysis of RNA-seq datasets from 5 waterlogged barley varieties identified transcriptional signatures of waterlogging resilience/tolerance. The first results from this work have recently published in Plant Direct. The research fellow, Dr. Ailbhe Brazel, has also disseminated this work to the scientific community at meetings including (i) European Workshop on Plant Chromatin, (Czechia, May 2022), (ii) Irish Plant Scientists’ Association Meeting, (Ireland, June 2023), (iii) Plant Molecular Mechanisms Ireland (Ireland, August 2023). Concluding experiments are currently being completed before submission of additional results for publication.

Training and transfer of knowledge was another key objective of this action. For example, Dr. Ailbhe Brazel received training in next generation sequencing bioinformatic analysis. This allowed the fellow to complete a set of data analysis during the course of this action and publish this work in The EMBO Journal, while also providing her with the skills necessary to perform barley transcriptional analysis for this project and publish these results in Plant Direct. The knowledge of barley transcriptional bioinformatic analysis was then transferred to members of the host lab through a group meeting presentation and through one-on-one help with bioinformatic analysis of (i) RNA-seq analysis of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum datasets and (ii) large scale photosynthetic parameter datasets.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

This action progressed the field beyond the state of the art by identifying (i) a novel genetic interaction between enzymatic components of the plant N-degron pathway (an important regulator of hypoxia response) and a pathway involved in regulating gene transcription; (ii) identifying major implications for this interaction in plant development; and (iii) identifying novel transcriptomic signatures of waterlogging responses in barley. So far, this research has been disseminated to the scientific community and advanced our understanding of plant responses to hypoxia beyond the state of the art. This work also has the potential to lead to the identification of new breeding targets for climate change adaptation in crops which would have major societal implications in the future.

This action has allowed the research fellow, Dr. Ailbhe Brazel, to receive training in specific skill sets, establish herself in the field of plant stress responses, and publish her research. Dr. Brazel is now employed as an Assistant Lecturer at Maynooth University and is continuing her research within this area.

EpiStress Project Key Research Question