UMOCELF · Understanding and modifying cell-fate transitions during plant grafting
Horizon Europe — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
- Duration
- 2022-07-31 → 2024-10-30
- EU contribution
- €224,819
- Participants
- 1
- Scheme
- HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF
Lines connect the coordinator with its partners.
Results in brief
Understanding and modifying cell-fate transitions during plant grafting
Plants have a remarkable ability to heal and regenerate after injury, a process that is essential for their survival. This natural regeneration is also the foundation of plant grafting, a widely used technique in agriculture and horticulture where parts of different plants are joined to grow as one to improve crops. However, the biological mechanisms that control how plant cells change their identity and rebuild damaged tissues remain poorly understood. My research goal was to to uncover these mechanisms, focusing on how plants regulate cell identity transitions during regeneration and graft formation. To achieve this, my project addressed three key objectives: 1. Unraveling Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms of Dedifferentiation To explore how plant cells change their identity to initiate regeneration and graft formation. 2. Characterizing Molecular Organizers of Regenerative Differentiation To understand the factors that control how plants regenerate tissues after injury. 3. Modifying Dedifferentiation and Differentiation During Grafting To develop strategies for improving regeneration and grafting. Conclusion, significance and impact: By uncovering the intricate mechanisms of cell identity transitions during regeneration and graft formation, this research enhances our understanding of plant healing processes. Beyond fundamental insights into plant biology, these findings offer practical implications for agriculture, promising advancements in crop yield, disease resistance, and stress tolerance, ultimately supporting food security and sustainable agriculture.
Data: CORDIS, © European Union
Project objective
The remarkable regenerative capacity of plants to join wounded tissues together through a process known as grafting has been extensively used in agriculture to combine the best properties of two different plants into a single plant. Although grafting has been practiced for thousands of years, many agriculturally important plants are not possible to graft. One of the major limitations that prevent us from improving grafting efficiency is our poor understanding of the molecular mechanism of plant regeneration. When tissues are wounded and joined for grafting, the differentiated cells near the wound site modify their identity and acquire a dedifferentiated fate. These pluripotent cells then differentiate to form the missing cell types leading to tissue regeneration. However, it remains unknown how cells dedifferentiate in response to wounding and how they differentiate to heal tissues, the major problem to be addressed in this project. This gap in knowledge will be addressed by using multidisciplinary approaches that include my experience and skills in plant regeneration, molecular genetics and advanced microscopy, and the host lab's expertise in plant grafting, transcriptomics, and genetics of various plant species. The outcome of this research is expected to enhance the fundamental knowledge in cell-fate transition and vascular regeneration and provide powerful tools for improving grafting in various plant species. The project will allow me to be trained as an independent researcher in plant grafting and vascular regeneration. At the same time, the host lab will benefit from my expertise in plant regeneration and microscopy.
Original text from CORDIS.
Participants
- SVERIGES LANTBRUKSUNIVERSITET · UppsalaCoordinatorSweden
Links
- View on CORDIS
- DOI: 10.3030/101069157
- https://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/documents/downloadPublic?documentIds=080166e514005121&appId=PPGMS
- https://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/documents/downloadPublic?documentIds=080166e5f70a5e94&appId=PPGMS
Data: CORDIS, © European Union