Mechanosensing hubs at Hechtian attachment sites in Arabidopsis

• Applicant: Dr. Johanna Dickmann
• Subject Area: Plant Cell and Developmental Biology
• Term: since 2023
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 521501033

In all multicellular organisms, cells are surrounded by a meshwork of polymers that is deposited by the cells, signals back to the cells, and is remodelled by them in a feedback loop. In animals, the meshwork forms a soft extracellular matrix (ECM) and the attachment of plasma membrane to ECM contributes to both ECM deposition and sensing. In plants, cells are surrounded by a stiff, load-bearing cell walls and the role of plasma membrane - cell wall attachment sites is ill-described. In this project, I will analyse Hechtian attachment sites (HATSs) that anchor the plasma membrane to the cell wall at discrete points even in face of plasmolysis. HATSs thus harbour a great potential as mechanosensing hubs, accumulating both mechanical forces, and mechanosensitive components at discrete points in the cell. I will revisit HATSs, focusing on their composition and their role in mechanosensing. This will help to understand their contribution in physiology and development. This work will be centred on a well-established system (the Arabidopsis hypocotyl), while also building on recent developments in quantitative imaging and analysis and in microfabricated environments for single cells. Altogether, the proposed project will open a new research avenue: Investigating the feedback loop in which HATSs contribute to sensing of the mechanical status of plant tissue and modulation thereof.

• DFG Programme: WBP Fellowship
• International Connection: France
• Host: Dr. Olivier Hamant