Plants respond to touch stimulation such as the wind, rain or the brushing by of animals by switching on a series of responses that make them sturdier and more resistant to damage. This research seeks to discover the genes that allow plants to trigger these responses. Results from this research will help define how plants defend themselves against environmental stresses with potential practical applications in the breeding or engineering of more resistant crops. The work will also involve the training of postdoctoral researchers, graduate students and undergraduate students in plant science. The program will help promote an understanding of plant research to the general public thorough a series of presentations and practical demonstrations.
Despite its key role in determining their form and function, the molecular machinery underlying plant mechanical sensing and response remains very poorly defined. In addition, the mechanisms behind the known crosstalk between the mechanical and defense response systems remains largely uncharacterized. Changes in cytoplasmic Ca2+ are known to be some of the earliest signals generated by both mechanical stimuli and defense elicitors. This research program therefore seeks to define the role of the Ca2+-responsive calmodulin and calmodulin-like gene families in these processes. Bioinformatics will first be used to define the calmodulin and calmodulin-like protein-related mechanical response network. Analysis of gene expression, plant development, Ca2+ dynamics and pathogen sensitivity in mutants in these network genes will then be made to test their functional roles in touch and pathogen responses. These analyses will help to define the roles of these network elements in: (1) mechanical signaling and, (2) the crosstalk between mechanical and defense responses.
