Project description
Uncovering how plants build resilient epidermis
The plant epidermis serves as a vital barrier, shielding plants from environmental threats like pathogens, rain, and wind. This complex tissue is made up of various cell types, each with unique shapes and roles, but how these cells coordinate to ensure tissue integrity is not fully understood. Pavement cells, with their distinctive jigsaw-like shape, play a pivotal role, yet the signals and mechanical interactions shaping them are still a mystery. Recent research suggests that inner tissue layers may influence pavement cell development through unidentified signals. Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the iCON project will combine advanced microscopy, biomechanics, and molecular biology in Arabidopsis thaliana. This work promises breakthroughs for stress-resilient plants and sustainable agriculture.
Objective
In plants, the outermost epidermal cell layer is critical for protecting the entire plant against external threats such as rain, wind and pathogens. The plant epidermis is a complex tissue consisting of multiple cell types, all with different shapes, functions and developmental trajectories. Although studied in isolation, our understanding of how these cells interact to ensure tissue integrity is poor, but at present, the outermost jigsaw-puzzle-shaped pavement cells have emerged as key players. Recent findings in the host lab suggest that the diverse physical and/or mechanochemical nature of the cell wall is crucial for pavement cell-shape acquisition, and thus under influence of the underlying tissue layers. However, yet the identity of the putative signals derived from inner cell layers, defining the shape of epidermal cells and the integrity of the multilayered leaf tissue, remains to be explored. Hence, in iCON I will join the Robert (host) lab to disentangle the signaling networks and mechanical constraints of inner mesophyll cells that determine epidermal pavement cell shape and organogenesis of the leaf, using a suite of novel and multidisciplinary approaches in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. Specifically, I will acquire new skills in cutting-edge microscopy, cell biology and biomechanics to generate a high-resolution 3D map and uncover mechanical/physical cues, and leverage my expertise in transcriptomics, genetics and molecular biology to determine molecular components, together allowing me to decipher the overall mechanism via which mesophyll cells orchestrate pavement cell shape acquisition. Besides contributing new knowledge, iCON will allow me to expand my scientific expertise and gain key transferrable skills, boosting my strive to become a research leader. Ultimately, knowledge on how plants maintain tissue integrity can support the development of stress-resilient plants and thus contribute to a sustainable agriculture in a changing climate.
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.
- natural sciences biological sciences cell biology
- natural sciences physical sciences optics microscopy
- agricultural sciences agriculture, forestry, and fisheries agriculture
- natural sciences biological sciences biophysics
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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)
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.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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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) HORIZON-MSCA-2023-PF-01
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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.
750 07 Uppsala
Sweden
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.