FOR 5098:  Innovation and Coevolution in Plant Sexual Reproduction - ICIPS

• Subject Area: Biology
• Term: since 2021
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 431732981

Early land plants have overcome the challenge of continuous range expansion away from water sources, constantly at risk of dehydration. Consequently, the sexual reproduction of land plants has evolved to be independent of free water. Several key innovations in sexual reproduction emerged within the land plant lineage, such as spores with a rigid outer surface, ovules harboring reduced female gametophytes. The evolution of sexual reproduction in land plants provides remarkable examples of fundamental biological concepts like "innovation" (e.g., the origin of new reproductive structures like ovules and pollen tubes) and "coevolution" (e.g., between signaling peptides and receptors involved in fertilization, microRNAs with their targets, pairs of transcriptional regulators and ROS productionand sensing). However, the evolutionary dynamics and molecular mechanisms underlying these processes remain poorly understood. The Research Unit ICIPS brings together seven independent research groups with complementary expertise developmental biology, cell biology, and evolutionary biology. Supported by a bioinformatics core group, we aim to shed light on the molecular mechanisms driving innovations in plant reproduction. ICIPS specifically focuses on the evolution of key transcription factor families, microRNAs, the gene regulatory networks they are involved in, the role of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in reproduction, as well as the evolution of communication systems between male and female reproductive organs. We employ a combination of state-of-the-art methods including cellular imaging with genetically encoded biosensors, spatial transcriptomics, metabolomics, and genome editing, and applied to liverworts (Marchantia), mosses (Physcomitrium), ferns (Ceratopteris), and flowering plants like Zea and Arabidopsis. In the first phase, we established phylogenetic frameworks, established gene-edited mutant and reporter lines, investigated the evolution of protein interactions, laid the foundation for comparing spatiotemporal ROS dynamics in a reproductive context and generated necessary bioinformatics resources for comparative omics analyses between land plants. For the second phase, we aim to identify changes, on the molecular scale, underlying the evolution of gene regulatory networks and signaling/communication systems essential for sexual reproduction in plants. Furthermore, ICIPS fosters the development of a community of young researchers working in evolutionary biology and cell biology in Germany who routinely combine approaches from molecular genetics with smart bioinformatics tools, applying established as well as newly developed methods to non-seed plant and seed plant models. The goal is to establish ICIPS as a focal point for this community, bringing together experts from relevant disciplines to explore coevolution and innovation in land plant sexual reproduction.

• DFG Programme: Research Units

Projects

• Bioinformatics workflows for scalable analysis of plant “omics” data in cloud computing environments (Applicant Goesmann, Alexander )
• Co-evolution of gametophytic communication systems by RALF, EA1 and ROS signaling (Applicant Dresselhaus, Thomas )
• Co-evolution of miRNAs and their targets in sexual reproduction at the sporophyte-gametophyte transition (Applicant de Vries, Sophie )
• Coevolution and diversification of processes controlling apoplastic redox dynamics during land plant growth and fertility (Applicant Müller-Schüssele, Stefanie )
• Coevolution of the LEUNIG and SEUSS transcriptional regulators and their role in land plant sexual reproduction (Applicant Becker, Annette )
• Contribution of the TGA/NPR network and redox-processes to the evolution of sexual reproduction (Applicant Zachgo, Sabine )
• Coordination Funds (Applicant Becker, Annette )
• Coordination Funds (Applicant Becker, Annette )
• Evolution of regulatory TGA/ROXY functions and impact of redox processes in sexual reproduction of land plants (Applicants Gutsche, Nora ;  Zachgo, Sabine )
• Evolutionary history of ECA1 gametogenesis-related proteins and their roles in seed plant reproduction (Applicant Sprunck, Stefanie )
• On the origin of the seed habit II: reverse genetics of MADS-box genes in Ceratopteris (Applicant Theißen, Günter )

• Spokesperson: Professorin Dr. Annette Becker