Conserved gene modules regulate light signals in algae and plants.
2020
In the Plant Development Unit (PDU) we aim to discover mechanisms that allowed photosynthetic organisms to reach
the level of developmental complexity shown today. Plants are particularly good models as they have been evolving
as light autotrophs for millions of years, ever since the first bacteria developed oxygenic photosynthesis and killed
99% of existing species in the process. But light is not only the main source of energy for plants, it is also one of the
main regulators of their development, as endo-symbiotic cyanobacteria (chloroplasts) perfected their physiological
synchronization with the emerging eukaryotes . Another important aspect of plant evolution was the transit to the
aerial world and the acquisition of characteristics that allowed them to successfully colonise this new habitat. In the
PDU we have followed the evolution of the day length response (photoperiod) that coordinates the daily physiological
activities of plants and can be also used to regulate seasonal behaviours such as winter recesses or flowering time.
When gene expression networks from photoperiod experiments from microalgae, bryophytes and higher plants are
compared, a common nodular structure is discovered. Following these discoveries, we have isolated ancestor algal
genes that show the same function as higher plants in the response to photoperiod such as the CONSTANS-DOF
module. We are currently investigating common regulatory mechanisms in photoperiod sensing such as the effect
on the circadian clock, senescence, retrograde signalling and protein stability.
Keywords:
- Correction
- Source
- Cite
- Save
- Machine Reading By IdeaReader
0
References
0
Citations
NaN
KQI