CYCLIC NUCLEOTIDES IN BIOTIC STRESS SIGNALLING IN PLANT

SUMMARY:
Understanding the specific biological responses regulated by cGMP and cAMP is a big challenge in plant field.The aim of this project is to study the roles played by cGMP and cAMP in the signaling events following avirulent pathogen attacks (Pseudomonas syringae) in Arabidopsis thaliana (Arabidopsis) plants through a multidisciplinary approach.

Abstract:
The two cyclic nucleotides cGMP ( cyclic guanosine monophosphate) and cAMP (cyclic adenosine monophosphate) have been currently reported to be involved in several plant physiological processes, but the mechanisms and the downstream signal transduction events are still poorly characterized. Understanding the specific biological responses regulated by cGMP and cAMP is a big challenge in plant field.
The aim of this project is to study the roles played by cGMP and cAMP in the signaling events following avirulent pathogen attacks (Pseudomonas syringae) in Arabidopsis thaliana (Arabidopsis) plants through a multidisciplinary approach.
The first project resource will be the generation of Arabidopsis plants with altered levels of cyclic nucleotides, both cGMP and cAMP. These plants will be inoculated with the avirulent pathogen and analyzed at phenotypic, biochemical and molecular levels. The in vivo variation of Ca2+, H2O2 and cyclic nucleotides during biotic stress will be studied by means of imaging analyses. A transcriptomic and proteomic characterization will also be performed in order to discover genes and proteins involved in the signaling events and in particular those regulated by cNMP.

Partners:
- Dr Alex COSTA, Principal Investigator (Research associate), University of Milan
- Dr Emanuela BLANCO (Research associate), Istitute of Biosciences and Bioresources (IBBR)-CNR, Bari
- Dr Vittoria LOCATO (Research associate), Campus Bio-Medico University of Rome
- Dr Elodie VANDELLE (PostDoc researcher), University of Verona

Contacts:
emanuela.blanco@ibbr.cnr.it