Habitat-dependent regulation of cellular respiration in plant oxygen stress- and elicitor responses

Plants must adapt to varying oxygen levels in different habitats. Since oxygen influences key metabolic processes and signaling, adaptation strategies differ between species. This project explores how oxygen availability affects plant-microbe interactions, focusing on the respiratory burst - a crucial defense and signaling mechanism. Using barley (terrestrial) and seagrass (aquatic), we analyze oxygen-dependent stress responses through combinatorial stress treatments, high-throughput respiration analysis, ROS production measurements, transcriptomics, and metabolomics. Fluorescent biosensors allow real-time monitoring of cellular changes. We investigate the roles of Respiratory Burst Oxidase Homologue (RBOH) proteins and mitochondrial oxidases, particularly Alternative Oxidase (AOX), in respiration and ROS production. Mitochondria are emerging as key regulators of stress responses, making their role in oxygen stress adaptation particularly relevant. Additionally, we examine how oxygen availability influences plant microbiomes by studying mitochondrial respiration in barley. Integrated into the PlantsCoChallenge consortium, this sub-project will provide a novel physiological perspective on plant-microbe interactions, aiming to advance agriculture and ecosystem management by uncovering fundamental adaptation mechanisms.

The redox-sensor Grx1-roGFP2 in barley © Pedro Barreto (Schwarzländer Lab)