Abstract
My study aims to elucidate the role of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in regulating cell wall (CW) biomechanics during plant growth, a missing link in the growth regulatory pathway. Understanding this process is crucial for various aspects of plant biology including plant-pathogen interactions and stress responses. The research intends to integrate ROS signaling with CW integrity pathways to provide a mechanistic framework which could underpin future fundamental and agricultural development. I will use fast-growing root hairs of Arabidopsis thaliana as plant cell model to (1) quantify subcellular ROS dynamics and uncover its link with CW biomechanics, (2) study CW-ROS feedback regulation, (3) reveal the spatio-temporal dynamics of protein interactions involved in ROS-CW growth pathways, and (4) identify the ligands of ERULUS, a receptor-like kinase involved in CW integrity sensing. Dedicated work packages will make use of several interdisciplinary approaches that are present in the host-lab or through collaborations. These include the development of pH-insensitive cell wall-targeted ROS reporters, generation of crosses of mutants and transgenic lines, molecular modeling, ligand identification and characterization, and multiparametric live cell imaging experiments coupled to microfluidics. Overall, the research aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the ROS-CW growth pathway, which could have significant implications for plant biology and agriculture.
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