Pseudo Response Regulator 7 dependent and independent thermotolerance acquisition in Arabidopsis thaliana

• Grant number: 22/13970-7
• Support Opportunities: Research Program on Global Climate Change - Regular Grants
• Start date: September 01, 2023
• End date: August 31, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Genetics - Plant Genetics
• Principal Investigator: Carlos Takeshi Hotta
• Grantee: Carlos Takeshi Hotta
• Host Institution: Instituto de Química (IQ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Colleen Doherty
• Associated research grant(s): 24/19284-3 - Metabolic Regulation of Seasonal Growth in Plants, AP.R SPRINT

Abstract

Plants are vital to our global food supply, but with the increasing frequency of heat waves due to climate change, plant heat stress has become a significant threat to food security. Plant heat stress can cause significant damage, leading to reduced growth and yield. However, recent research suggests that plants can acquire thermotolerance, allowing them to survive stronger heat stress if exposed to milder stress beforehand. Our preliminary data has shown that thermotolerance acquisition has a rhythmic component, with two different acquisition peaks during the day (4 h after dawn, ZT4, and ZT12). We have identified a circadian clock mutant, prr7-11, that affects thermotolerance acquisition mainly at ZT4, suggesting the existence of two different pathways involved in the process: one PRR7-dependent and one PRR7-independent. To identify genes implicated in these pathways and further our understanding of plant thermotolerance acquisition, we comprehensively analysed Arabidopsis gene expression under 37°C stress at different times of the day. We used co-expression analysis to select candidate genes essential for thermotolerance acquisition. In this project, we will position known mutants (for thermotolerance and circadian clock) within the PRR7-dependent and -independent acquired thermotolerance pathways by repeating our acquired thermotolerance assay at different times of the day and measuring survivability and gene expression. Additionally, we will build a new RNA-seq dataset using prr7-11 to identify new candidate genes. Our research will provide critical insights into the pathways of acquiring plant thermotolerance and ultimately help us develop more resilient crops to mitigate the effects of climate change on global food security. (AU)