Effectors of MAP kinase signaling during plant embryogenesis

• Applicant: Dr. Martin Bayer
• Subject Area: Plant Cell and Developmental Biology
• Term: since 2022
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 494821461

Multicellular organisms develop their complex body shape from genetically identical cells. To achieve this, cells initiate different transcriptional responses in daughter cells of asymmetric cell divisions. We use the early Arabidopsis embryo as model system to get molecular, mechanistic insight into the signaling events that orchestrate cellular differentiation in plant stem cell systems.In recent years, it has become clear that the ERECTA-YODA MAP kinase signaling pathway plays a central role in cell polarization and differential gene expression in asymmetric cell divisions in plants.In the early Arabidopsis embryo, however, little is known about the molecular targets of MAP kinase phosphorylation and how different cell identities and auxin responses are achieved in the daughter cells on a molecular level.In the proposed project, we will functionally characterize transcription factors and transcriptional repressors as targets of the embryonic ERECTA-YODA pathway. With this project, we will get mechanistic insight in stem cell homeostasis and how different cell identities are achieved during plant development.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants