SINOCA · Signals for Inter-Organelle Communication in Abiotic Stress

Signals for Inter-Organelle Communication in Abiotic Stress

Climate change is increasingly affecting plant growth and development worldwide. More frequent heatwaves and prolonged droughts threaten crop yields, plant health, and ecosystem stability across Europe and beyond. To address these challenges and ensure global food security, it is essential to understand how plants and plant cells sense environmental changes and activate protective responses that confer tolerance to adverse conditions. Plant cells function as highly coordinated systems in which the proper functioning of the different organelles is essential to maintain cellular health. Two key organelles in this context are the chloroplast and the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Chloroplasts enable photosynthesis and energy production, while the ER ensures correct protein folding, lipid synthesis, and cellular homeostasis. Under stress conditions, both organelles are among the first to be affected and play a central role in initiating adaptive stress responses. Until recently, research mainly focused on how individual organelles respond to stress in isolation. However, emerging evidence shows that organelles are physically and functionally interconnected. Effective stress tolerance therefore depends on proper communication between organelles. Signals exchanged between the ER and chloroplast could allow plants to rapidly adjust metabolism, limit cellular damage, and survive adverse conditions. Despite its importance, inter-organelle communication remains poorly understood, and key genes and signals are largely unknown. The overall objective of this project was to elucidate how the ER and chloroplast communicate during abiotic stress, particularly under heat and drought conditions. By combining molecular analyses, genetic approaches, and computational tools, the project aimed to identify molecular connections that enable coordinated stress responses. Specifically, the project sought to: 1. Characterise gene activity and other molecular changes associated with ER and chloroplast stress. 2. Identify genes and signals linking stress responses between these two organelles as candidates for ER-chloroplast communication. 3. Assess how communication influences plant survival during heat and drought. The knowledge generated by this project is intended to contribute to improving plant resilience to climate-related stresses. By identifying genes and signalling pathways involved in ER-chloroplast communication, the project provides a foundation for future research aimed at developing climate-resilient crops through breeding or gene-editing approaches. Although the work focused on the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, the underlying cellular mechanisms are expected to be conserved across species, including crops. In the longer term, these insights can support strategies to mitigate yield losses caused by heat and drought, contributing to sustainable agriculture, food security, and ecosystem stability.

Текст от CORDIS, на английски · Данни: CORDIS, © Европейски съюз