Identification of transcriptional regulators of the plant ionome

• Applicant: Dr. Ricardo F.H. Giehl
• Subject Area: Plant Physiology ; Plant Cultivation, Plant Nutrition, Agricultural Technology
• Term: from 2018 to 2023
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 411711475

The content of multiple elements in plant tissues (ionome) is a major determinant for plant growth and tolerance to a range of biotic and abiotic stresses. Besides being affected by the availability of mineral elements in the soil, several processes in plants including acquisition, uptake and long-distance transport, define the ionome of a plant throughout its development. Although transporters for most relevant inorganic ions have been identified and characterized, much less is known about the regulatory modules that regulate the accumulation of multiple elements in plants. Thus, the main objectives of this project are: i) to identify and characterize novel regulators of processes that determine the accumulation of multiple elements in plants by high-throughput elemental profiling; ii) to elucidate the role of an identified B3-type transcription factor in root architectural responses to local phosphorus availability and its putative role in the systemic regulation of phosphorus and potassium accumulation in plants; and iii) to determine the contribution of MYB106-dependent and –independent regulation of trichome morphology and cuticle properties on the selective accumulation of multiple elements in shoots. To achieve these goals, high-throughput elemental analysis will be combined with reverse genetics and a series of molecular and physiological approaches. Discoveries made during these investigations will help to advance our understanding about how plants respond to external availabilities and internal demand, and how a range of “ionomic selective filters” contribute to the ultimate elemental composition of plants. In addition, the results from this project will reveal genetic targets for modulating the accumulation of multiple elements in plants.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants