BIONUT · BIOchemical and genetic dissection of control of plant mineral NUTrition

BIOchemical and genetic dissection of control of plant mineral NUTrition

BIOchemical and genetic dissection of control of plant mineral NUTrition (BIONUT-ITN) The main objective of BIONUT-ITN is to provide state-of-the-art training for young researchers in the highly strategic field of plant nutrition through an international programme of research, training and transfer of knowledge. The interdisciplinary training includes biochemical and genetic technology in the laboratory with field agronomy and high throughput phenotyping technologies, combining inputs from academia and industry. The training is based around a research project which will address important biological questions using model plants and the major crop species, wheat and rice, with the overall goal of increasing the understanding of genetic control of nutrient use efficiency of plants and thus addressing one of the major challenges of European society, global food security. The overarching and long term scientific questions of BIONUT-ITN are: what controls nutrient use efficiency of plants and how can we use this knowledge to generate crop plants with optimised yields without increasing inputs? BIONUT-ITN addresses this by bringing together a group of world class researchers to adopt a multidisciplinary approach and to provide the necessary breadth of academic as well as industrial expertise essential to training and transfer of knowledge. The scientific themes providing the backbone of our training activities are (1) Genetic control of nutrient use efficiency, (2) Function of new genes affecting plant mineral nutrition, and (3) From the laboratory to the field. By bringing complementary intersectoral providers of research training together into a cohesive network, BIONUT-ITN moves the biologists working in the field of plant nutrition closer to the end-users of the research achievements including agroindustry, breeders and farmers and as a consequence, enhance the career prospects of the trainees. To achieve these objectives 8 ESRs and 2 ERs were appointed. The ESRs have successfully concluded their training, by handing in their PhD Theses. They generated a large number of valuable datasets and tools that provided new knowledge on the biological processes underlying nutrient use efficiency. In the Objective 1, three new genes, whose variation in Arabidopsis affects nutrient use efficiency have been identified and partially characterised. One of these genes encodes a potential new Molybdenum binding protein and is essential for Arabidopsis. Natural variation in the response to N and S deficiency has been assessed, leading to identification of new metabolite markers for deficiency and to finding various mechanisms of response to nutrition stress. Regulatory networks coordinating response to Fe and S deficiency have been characterised by ESR3. In Objective 2, two new genes involved in response to sulfate starvation have been discovered and characterised, as well as a new gene linking autophagy with nutrient starvation response. In addition, transcript and metabolite networks were generated from large scale experiment in field, resulting in uncovering novel regulatory nodes and candidates for crop improvement. For the first time the effects of CO2 on sulfur nutrition has been assessed. In Objective 3, new sulfur responsive promoters have been identified and tested in the field and genes responsive to nutrient deficiency in field conditions have been identified by transcriptomics. Datasets generated by the academic partners were analysed by propietary software at the industrial partner, who generated and tested transgenic rice expressing genes provided by the consortium. The results are described in the PhD Theses and are being written up into numerous manuscripts. The progress of the work led to numerous student and data exchanges and joint experiments. The ESRs have recieved first class research training as well as structured training in technical and complementary skills. They had several opportunities to present their results to their peers at various workshops, the most important being a BIONUT Workshop in India as a showcase of European plant nutrition research. All ESRs have also contributed a chapter in the BIONUT book, "Nutrient Use Efficiency in Plants: Concepts and Approaches", within Springer "Plant Ecophysiology" series. More details about the BIONUT-ITN can be found at http://bionutitneu2.fatcow.com/ and from skopriva@uni-koeln.de

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