Project Details
Projekt
Understanding flooding tolerance mechanisms using a tolerant dicot model system
Applicant
Professorin Dr. Angelika Mustroph
Subject Area
Plant Physiology
Term
from 2014 to 2019
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 260520787
The predicted increase in the duration and frequency of flooding events in upcoming years demands extensive research into plant flooding-tolerance mechanisms, with the goal to improve survivability of crop plants under such stress conditions. However, studies in this area have largely focused on the monocot rice. Here, we aim at establishing a flooding-tolerant dicotyledonous model plant system (Rorippa spec.) from the Brassicaceae family, similar to the well-established heavy metal-tolerant model species Arabidopsis halleri. First, we will identify genes that are differentially regulated during submergence stress in the flooding-tolerant dicot genera Rorippa, Nasturtium and Cardamine in comparison to the flooding sensitive model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. In order to do so, plants will be submerged for a specific time, and RNA from the shoot tissue will be subjected to RNAseq analysis. Besides the comparison between tolerant and sensitive species, species with different submergence survival strategies, namely the escape and quiescence strategies, will be compared with respect to global changes in gene expression. Second, Rorippa species will be made accessible to genetic modification by establishing transformation methods and analyzing the function of selected candidate genes from the first goal by means of gene knock-down or overexpression. Published methods for other Brassicaceae, including Arabidopsis halleri and Nasturtium officinale, will be the basis for this part of the project.
DFG Programme
Priority Programmes
International Connection
Netherlands, USA
Participating Persons
Dr. Melis Akman; Dr. Rashmi Sasidharan
