Project description
Shedding new light on morphogenesis in plants
The biological process of morphogenesis is the shaping of an organism. It involves the integration of biochemical, genetic and mechanical factors across multiple spatio-temporal scales. In plants, it is dominated by the rigid cell wall that fixes cells in their position. The cell walls are assembled by a complex intracellular trafficking machinery that delivers cell wall components. Considering that the trafficking route directed to cell edges is essential for cell wall assembly and directional growth at the cell and organ scales, the ERC-funded EDGE-CAM project will study whether a receptor-like protein serves as a core component of a cell wall signalling pathway at edges. The findings will provide a multiscale mechanistic model of morphogenesis in plants.
Objective
A fundamental question in biology is how multicellular organisms robustly produce organ shapes. The underlying process of morphogenesis involves the integration of biochemical, genetic, and mechanical factors across multiple spatio-temporal scales. In plants, morphogenesis is dominated by the rigid cell wall, which fixes cells in their position. Adjacent cells must therefore coordinate their growth patterns, which are in turn controlled by the mechanical properties of the cell wall. Cell walls are assembled by a complex intracellular trafficking machinery that delivers cell wall components and their associated biosynthetic machinery to different subcellular regions.
Based on our recent discovery that a trafficking route directed to cell edges is essential for cell wall assembly and directional growth at the cell and organ scale, we propose that morphogenesis is controlled by a signalling module at cell edges which integrates feedback from the cell wall. This hypothesis provides a mechanistic explanation for the integration of cell and tissue-level mechanical factors into coordinated cell wall assembly. We propose that a receptor-like protein recently identified as the first known cargo of edge-directed trafficking acts as a core component of a cell wall signalling pathway at edges.
This proposal aims to test our hypothesis through a combination of experimental and computational methods: (1) at the molecular level, we will identify further components of the signalling module through ligand screening, comparative proteomics, and forward genetics; (2) at the cellular level, we will functionally characterise trafficking pathways and their regulation by edge signalling through quantitative imaging, glycomics, and computational mechanics; and (3) at the organ level, we will dissect how robust growth emerges from edge-based feedback on these trafficking pathways. Collectively, these results will provide a multi-scale mechanistic model of morphogenesis in plants.
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.
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.
You need to log in or register to use this function
We are sorry... an unexpected error occurred during execution.
You need to be authenticated. Your session might have expired.
Thank you for your feedback. You will soon receive an email to confirm the submission. If you have selected to be notified about the reporting status, you will also be contacted when the reporting status will change.
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.
-
H2020-EU.1.1. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
See all projects funded under this programme
Topic(s)
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.
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
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.
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.
ERC-STG - Starting Grant
See all projects funded under this funding scheme
Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2020-STG
See all projects funded under this callHost institution
Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
75007 PARIS CEDEX 07
France
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.