Project Details
Projekt
Habitat-dependent regulation of cellular respiration in plant oxygen stress- and elicitor responses
Subject Area
Plant Physiology
Term
since 2024
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 515385982
Plants have evolved specific adaptations to oxygen availability in different environments. Since key metabolic processes and signal transduction are strictly oxygen-dependent, habitat-specific adaptation strategies are to be expected. This sub-project aims to gain insights into the relationship between oxygen supply and plant-microbe interactions, with focus on the respiratory burst, a crucial component of plant defense and signaling. We will employ a comparative approach using two model plants: terrestrial barley and aquatic seagrass, representing distinct oxygen environments. Our overarching goal is to understand how habitat-specific oxygen availability affects the respiratory burst and other aspects of plant-microbe interactions. We propose an integrated approach including combinatorial stress treatments, followed by high-throughput respiration analysis, measurements of reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, transcriptome analysis, and metabolite profiling. Innovative techniques like fluorescent protein-based biosensors enable real-time monitoring of cellular physiology under stress conditions. We investigate the plasticity of the elicitor-triggered respiratory burst depending on oxygen supply, and the contributions of Respiratory Burst Oxidase Homologue (RBOH) proteins at the plasma membrane and mitochondrial oxidases, including the Alternative Oxidase (AOX), to respiration and ROS production. Mitochondria have recently been emerging as central cellular hubs of stress response integration, with particular importance in biotic and oxygen stress management. Our goal is to shed light on adaptations that enable efficient interactions in different oxygen environments. We focus on distinguishing the contributing mechanisms of the respiratory burst in different habitats, particularly the adaptive regulatory mechanisms of mitochondrial respiration. With special consideration of AOX, we examine molecular actors underlying the respiratory burst and how they have evolved in response to varying oxygen availabilities. Using the barley model, we will analyze the influence of habitat- and variety-specific adaptations of respiratory mechanisms on microbiome composition. By investigating how mitochondrial respiration affects leaf microbiomes in terrestrial and aquatic environments, we aim to determine to which extent plant mitochondrial respiratory metabolism shapes microbiome composition. Through deep integration into the PlantsCoChallenge project, we provide a new cell-physiological perspective on plant-microbe interactions. We anticipate that the planned fundamental research will have far-reaching impacts on addressing specific challenges in agriculture, ecosystem management, and enhancing our understanding of plant-microbe relationships in diverse environments.
DFG Programme
Research Units
Subproject of
FOR 5640:
Physiological and Evolutionary Adaptation of Plants to Co-occurring Abiotic and Biotic Challenges
Major Instrumentation
Respiratory Activity Measurement System
Instrumentation Group
3560 Warburg-Apparaturen, Zellstoffwechsel-Analysengeräte
