Project description DEENESFRITPL Unravelling the mechanisms of the auxin-related genomic response in plants Auxins are plant hormones that regulate plant growth. Auxin receptors exist both extracellularly (the auxin-binding protein 1, or ABP1) and on the nucleus (auxin F-box proteins auxin receptors), the former thought to mediate fast, non-genomic responses and the latter slow, genomic ones. However, ABP1 is mainly localised to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), although it is thought to be active only in the extracellular matrix. Further, ABP1 function has recently been linked to genomic responses. The European Research Council-funded AuxinER project will test the hypothesis that the genomic auxin response is an integration of auxin-dependent nuclear signalling and auxin-metabolite-dependent ER signalling via the ABP1 receptors. Show the project objective Hide the project objective Objective The phytohormone auxin has profound importance for plant development. The extracellular AUXIN BINDING PROTEIN1 (ABP1) and the nuclear AUXIN F-BOX PROTEINs (TIR1/AFBs) auxin receptors perceive fast, non-genomic and slow, genomic auxin responses, respectively. Despite the fact that ABP1 mainly localizes to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), until now it has been proposed to be active only in the extracellular matrix (reviewed in Sauer and Kleine-Vehn, 2011). Just recently, ABP1 function was also linked to genomic responses, modulating TIR1/AFB-dependent processes (Tromas et al., 2013). Intriguingly, the genomic effect of ABP1 appears to be at least partially independent of the endogenous auxin indole 3-acetic acid (IAA) (Paque et al., 2014). In this proposal my main research objective is to unravel the importance of the ER for genomic auxin responses. The PIN-LIKES (PILS) putative carriers for auxinic compounds also localize to the ER and determine the cellular sensitivity to auxin. PILS5 gain-of-function reduces canonical auxin signaling (Barbez et al., 2012) and phenocopies abp1 knock down lines (Barbez et al., 2012, Paque et al., 2014). Accordingly, a PILS-dependent substrate could be a negative regulator of ABP1 function in the ER. Based on our unpublished data, an IAA metabolite could play a role in ABP1-dependent processes in the ER, possibly providing feedback on the canonical nuclear IAA-signaling. I hypothesize that the genomic auxin response may be an integration of auxin- and auxin-metabolite-dependent nuclear and ER localized signaling, respectively. This proposed project aims to characterize a novel auxin-signaling paradigm in plants. We will employ state of the art interdisciplinary (biochemical, biophysical, computational modeling, molecular, and genetic) methods to assess the projected research. The identification of the proposed auxin conjugate-dependent signal could have far reaching plant developmental and biotechnological importance. Fields of science natural sciencesbiological sciencesgeneticsnatural sciencesbiological sciencescell biologycell signalingnatural sciencesbiological sciencesbiochemistrybiomoleculesproteinsnatural sciencesbiological sciencesbotany Programme(s) H2020-EU.1.1. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - European Research Council (ERC) Main Programme Topic(s) ERC-StG-2014 - ERC Starting Grant Call for proposal ERC-2014-STG See other projects for this call Funding Scheme ERC-STG - Starting Grant Host institution UNIVERSITAET FUER BODENKULTUR WIEN Net EU contribution € 1 441 125,00 Address GREGOR MENDEL STRASSE 33 1180 Wien Austria See on map Region Ostösterreich Wien Wien Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Total cost € 1 441 125,00 Beneficiaries (1) Sort alphabetically Sort by Net EU contribution Expand all Collapse all UNIVERSITAET FUER BODENKULTUR WIEN Austria Net EU contribution € 1 441 125,00 Address GREGOR MENDEL STRASSE 33 1180 Wien See on map Region Ostösterreich Wien Wien Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Total cost € 1 441 125,00
