Salicylic acid pathway in bryophytes

The project will be supervised by Hirofumi Nakagami at the Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research.

Abstract:

The phytohormone salicylic acid (SA) plays key roles in the immune system of angiosperms. In Arabidopsis thaliana, NPR proteins function as major SA receptors. SA is also present in a range of bryophytes and streptophyte algae. However, SA function in defence responses and SA pathway components in bryophytes remain uncharacterized. Notably, NPR genes are absent from the sequenced genomes of streptophyte algae, and thus plants probably have acquired the canonical SA receptor NPR during terrestrialization. In this project, we aim to unravel the evolution of NPR function and SA signalling pathway. We will approach this aim by utilizing the model liverwort Marchantia polymorpha, the model moss Physcomitrium patens, the model hornwort Anthoceros agrestis, and by taking genetic, biochemical, transcriptomic, and proteomic approaches.

Key publication: Jeon HW, Iwakawa H, Naramoto S, Herrfurth C, Gutsche N, Schlüter T, Kyozuka J, Miyauchi S, Feussner I, Zachgo S, Nakagami H, “Contrasting and conserved roles of NPR pathways in diverged land plant lineages”, bioRxiv https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.07.19.500630

Link to the Nakagami group homepage: https://www.mpipz.mpg.de/nakagami