KeepTimeWithTheHeat · Keeping in time with the heat: how oscillating temperatures set the plant circadian clock
Horizon 2020 — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
- Duration
- 2018-06-01 → 2020-05-31
- EU contribution
- €158,122
- Participants
- 1
- Scheme
- MSCA-IF
Lines connect the coordinator with its partners.
Results in brief
Keeping in time with the heat: how oscillating temperatures set the plant circadian clock
Almost all processes in plants are in some way governed by their internal clock. Daily cycles of growth, photosynthesis, scent production and pathogen defense are crucial for plant fitness. Every morning, light re-sets the phase of the internal biological clock to ensure that it keeps cycling with a 24 hour period. In recent years, much progress has been made in understanding the mechanisms by which light re-sets the clock. Temperature oscillations also play a role in re-setting the clock. The mechanism by which temperature re-sets the clock is however poorly understood. This project aimed to discover the mechanism by which temperature cycles entrain the clock. Global warming is expected to disproportionally affect night time temperatures. If night time temperatures are increased, it is likely that plants will have less exposure to temperature oscillations. I hypothesised that this may have implications for plant fitness, particularly in situations where light is limited. My preliminary results showed that temperature oscillations could influence how well a plant survives on first exposure to light. I proposed that when a seedling germinates under the ground, temperature oscillations entrain the biological clock and enable the seedling to prepare for potentially damaging daylight, before such light is reached. This project had two objectives; to further define how temperature oscillations affect seedling survival on first exposure to light, and to investigate the mechanism underlying this trait.
Data: CORDIS, © European Union
Project objective
Plants contain rhythmic molecular oscillators (termed circadian clocks) which allow them to anticipate predictable environmental conditions over the course of a day. These clocks control a large proportion of the genome and have a dramatic effect on how plants respond to the environment. To ensure that it remains faithful to day length, the clock must be entrained using external cues. We have known for nearly a century that temperature fluctuations entrain plant circadian rhythms. Remarkably however, we are yet to discover how this information is perceived by the clock. This proposal aims to discover how temperature sets the phase of the clock. Previous efforts have likely been hampered by the cross-talk between light and temperature signalling in plants. I have discovered that thermal entrainment of dark-grown seedlings enhances their survival during the critical dark to light transition and I will exploit this phenotype to identify the thermal entrainer. One of the most likely candidates is PHYTOCHROME INTERACTING FACTOR 4 (PIF4). PIF4 is currently seen as an output of the clock and so these results may revolutionise our understanding of this relationship. I have designed a inter-disciplinary approach including molecular-genetic, computational and physiological experiments in order to test this hypothesis. As PIF4 is a central regulator of plant development, results from this project will have a far-reaching impact. The enhancement of seedling hardiness through thermal entrainment has potential commercial applications and I have laid out plans to explore these. The results will be communicated to both industrial and academic sectors and the wider public. Special attention has been paid to ensuring that this work will bolster the European Innovation Union through strengthening cross-European co-operation. The project has been designed to maximise my training opportunities and will make a significant contribution to my development as an independent researcher.
Original text from CORDIS.
Participants
- AGENCIA ESTATAL CONSEJO SUPERIOR DE INVESTIGACIONES CIENTIFICAS · MadridCoordinatorSpain
Links
Data: CORDIS, © European Union