Targeted genome modification to improve crop fitness via changes in the key (signalling) components

In a situation of changing climate and growing population together with decreasing availability of arable land, the humankind is facing a severe challenge in ensuring the sustainability of food production. Improving plant productivity under stress conditions is one of the promising directions allowing to overcome these limitations. Plant adaptation to stress is a complex response comprising communication network of environmental and intrinsic signalling pathways. In the past decades, substantial progress was achieved in our understanding of the mechanisms controlling signal recognition and transduction through individual signalling pathways. However, the mechanisms underlying integration of individual stimuli via mutual crosstalk of signalling pathways is still unclear. Furthermore, epigenetic regulations are emerging as a key factor controlling gene activities, particularly in the plant acclimation responses.
The main goal of the proposed intent is to describe key regulators and mechanisms involved in the stress response and use this information in targeted crop improvement. We will study factors controlling the integration of various environmental (light, temperature) and stress-related (ROS) signalling pathways with hormonal and epigenetic regulators of developmental and growth responses. The key regulatory components will be described in model plants (Arabidopsis, tobacco) as well as in selected crops (oil-seed rape, potato). The knowledge will be used in the targeted genome editing to improve the crop stress adaptation for higher yield and/or phytoremediation purposes.

First data on the role of genetic variability in the MSP signalling and drought stress in Brassica sp.
Evidence showing the putative role of thermo-responsive genes in the drought and high temperature stress in oil-seed rape.