16-ERACAPS: Signaling complexes in plant immunity and development "SICOPID"

Plants are nature's other successful experiment with multicellular life. To coordinate growth and development of their cells, tissues and organs plants have evolved unique plasma membrane receptor kinases (RKs). Several members of this protein family function as pattern recognition receptors, and as hormone receptors shaping the architecture of the plant. There is mounting evidence that different plant RKs are organized in membrane signaling complexes. RKs have a common structural architecture and share downstream signaling components. As such, it is presently unclear how the recognition of specific endogenous or foreign signals at the cell surface is translated into the activation of specific developmental programs or immune responses in the cytosol.

We propose to combine physiology, genetics and cell biology with phosphoproteomics, quantitative biochemistry and structural biology to identify the shared and specific mechanisms by which plant developmental and immune receptor complexes are activated. We will dissect, in molecular detail, how activated receptor complexes generate specific signaling output in the cytosol and how the activity of plant RKs are regulated by inhibitor proteins. We envision that our work will provide a molecular framework for understanding how specificity is encoded at the molecular level in RK signaling, setting the stage for engineering these pathways in crops in the future.

Plants are nature's other successful experiment with multicellular life. To coordinate growth and development of their cells, tissues and organs plants have evolved unique plasma membrane receptor kinases (RKs). Several members of this protein family function as pattern recognition receptors, and as hormone receptors shaping the architecture of the plant. There is mounting evidence that different plant RKs are organized in membrane signaling complexes. RKs have a common structural architecture and share downstream signaling components. As such, it is presently unclear how the recognition of specific endogenous or foreign signals at the cell surface is translated into the activation of specific developmental programs or immune responses in the cytosol.

We propose to combine physiology, genetics and cell biology with phosphoproteomics, quantitative biochemistry and structural biology to identify the shared and specific mechanisms by which plant developmental and immune receptor complexes are activated. We will dissect, in molecular detail, how activated receptor complexes generate specific signaling output in the cytosol and how the activity of plant RKs are regulated by inhibitor proteins. We envision that our work will provide a molecular framework for understanding how specificity is encoded at the molecular level in RK signaling, setting the stage for engineering these pathways in crops in the future.

The outputs of this project include joint open access research publications, scientific reports and presentations, crystallographic data, biochemical interactions, proteomic datasets as well as vectors and transgenic lines. Our strategy is to make these data available in useful formats as soon as practicable after generation in order to promote new research and to advance the field as quickly as possible. This is especially important given the gaps between knowledge generated in experimental plants and the potential for exploiting this knowledge for crop improvement. This strategy also maximizes the value of research funding and amplifies the impacts of the research.

We expect that our multi-disciplinary research proposal will yield fundamental new insights into plant membrane signaling and the underlying cytosolic signaling cascades. Our proposed work may allow for the design of patentable RK agonists and antagonists, which could serve as lead structures in disease control or in the shaping of crop architecture. Our dissemination plan aims to identify and capture IP relevant to crop improvement. We will liaise closely with the respective IP management offices of our respective institutions to identify potential IP generated in each laboratory.

A consortium agreement will be established at the start of the project to allocate ownership of IP according to partner contributions. We will work with our communication teams to develop press releases highlighting our findings for a non-specialist audience. More generally, we will take an active role in engaging the public in the science of plant growth/development and interactions with its environment. We will maximise opportunities to present our science to the public through planned visits to (or by) interested community groups: to assist with careers days; and to participate in science outreach days, such as the annual 'Fascination of
Plants Day'.