Calcium Regulation of Plant Productivity (CROPP)

• Antragstellerinnen: Professorin Dr. Tina Romeis; Professorin Dr. Ute Carla Vothknecht
• Fachliche Zuordnung: Pflanzenphysiologie
• Förderung: Förderung von 2009 bis 2013
• Projektkennung: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Projektnummer 93550368

Efficient growth and development are essential factors for plant productivity and they depend on a number of biotic and abiotic factors. Thus, plants are susceptible to a great variety of stimuli that trigger the onset of genetically conditioned programs influencing plant development and metabolic content. Calcium has long been acknowledged as one of the most important signalling components in plants and is crucial for the activation of environmental stress responses as well as for developmental processes. Calcium deficiency has been associated with many crop diseases, such as the apple disease "Bitter pit" and the "End-rot" in various crops. Soil calcium also has influence on the susceptibility of plants to pathogens. Nevertheless, our overall understanding of the general principles guiding the calcium signalling cascades in regulating plant growth, development and stress response remains fragmented. It is an enigma, how a single ion can integrate so many distinct environmental signals and regulate many cellular processes in a differential fashion. Understanding the role of calcium on a cellular as well as organismic level is a pre-requisite to exploit the intrinsic calcium signalling program to improve plant productivity.The scientific aim of CROPP is to increase our understanding of general principles in calciummediated processes that govern plant growth and development. CROPP will address the role of calcium signalling during light-dark transition triggering developmental responses and in response to environmental stress and hormones. In addition, we will analyse the cellular responses independent from the primary stimulus using artificially induced calcium elevations. Because the principle of calcium-based signalling and its components are common to all plants and key regulatory components are phylogenetically conserved, knowledge and results obtained with model systems will be assessed and utilised for improvement of biotechnological relevant traits in crop plants.

• DFG-Verfahren: Sachbeihilfen
• Internationaler Bezug: Großbritannien, Israel, Österreich
• Beteiligte Personen: Professor Dr. Hillel Fromm; Professor Dr. Marc Knight, Ph.D.; Privatdozent Dr. Markus Teige