Role of the Arabidopsis CRK protein kinase family in regulation of abiotic stress responses with special emphasis of control of root and hypocotyl graviresponse
Thesis supervisor: Ágnes Cséplő
Location of studies (in Hungarian): HAS, Biological Research Centre, Plant Biology Institute, Arabidopsis Molecular and Genetics Group Abbreviation of location of studies: SZBK
Description of the research topic:
Plants depend on roots which anchore them to soil, facilitate water and nutrient uptake. Roots are sensing different environmental stimuli, such as gravity, soil composition including salinity or water shortage. Adequate response to such effects is vital for plants, and needs to be studied to be able to develop breeding strategies for tolerating suboptimal conditions. Our group discovered and characterized an Arabidopsis protein kinase, CRK5, which turned to be an important regulator of root development and geotropism (Rigó et al. 2013., The Plant Cell, 25: 1592–1608). The CRK5 protein kinase is the member of the Arabidopsis thaliana Ca2+/calmodulin (CaM)-dependent CRK family which belongs to the CDPK-SnRK superfamily (Hrabak et al. 2003). CRK5 is one of the eight members of Arabidopsis CRK subfamily. The GFP reporter tagged CRK5 protein kinase (CRK5-GFP) indicated a unique, U-shape like plasmamembrane (PM) localization in epidermal root cells. Inactivation of the CRK5 protein kinase inhibits the root gravitropic response because the auxin efflux tranporter PIN2 protein had abnormal localization pattern in crk5 mutant root epidermal cells. The CRK5 protein kinase phosphorylates and therefore modifies the functioning of other proteins, regulates distribution of auxin, the most important plant hormone, which controls root development.
Up to now, some Arabidopsis thaliana CRK genes have been characterized biochemically, but only a few CRKs, namely CRK1, CRK3 and CRK5 protein kinases (Wang et al. 2004, Li et al. 2006, Rigó et al. 2013) were functionally partly described. It is known that CDPK superfamily related protein kinase families are involved in Ca2+ /Cam signaling which strongly effects gravitropic regulation (Sinclair and Trewavas 1997). The role of Ca2+ /Cam signaling in graviresponse regulation has not been studied yet in the case of the CRK protein kinase family in Arabidopsis thaliana.
In the proposed PhD project we will further investigate the importance of the Arabidopsis thaliana CRK family members (CRK1-CRK8) in root development and regulation of root/hypocotyl bending under gravistimulation by characterizing of individual loss of function T-DNA insertional mutants of CRKs. We will also try to get answer how this kinase family regulates molecular and cellular processes in roots under abiotic (e.g. oxidative) stress procedures.
Required language skills: Hungarian, English Recommended language skills (in Hungarian): English Further requirements: basic level molecular biology skill
Number of students who can be accepted: 1
Deadline for application: 2018-02-28
2024. IV. 17. ODT ülés Az ODT következő ülésére 2024. június 14-én, pénteken 10.00 órakor kerül sor a Semmelweis Egyetem Szenátusi termében (Bp. Üllői út 26. I. emelet).
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