A team of scientists from the Department of Biotechnology at the Palacký University Faculty of Science studied the genetic and cellular-biological regulation of the YODA signaling pathway using HSP90 proteins on the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana in order to better understand the complex mechanism of plant response to heat stress or drought. The results of the experiments were published in the prestigious journals Molecular Plant, Plant Physiology, and Journal of Experimental Botany.
“This project focused on the study of genetic and functional interactions between two heat shock proteins, HSP90.1 and HSP90.2, and a signaling sequence controlled by the YODA kinase. At the same time, we studied whether HSP90 proteins affect the function of this signaling pathway in the development of the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana,” said Jozef Šamaj from the Department of Biotechnology.
The key role of the YODA signaling pathway has been previously described in plant leaf stomata and embryogenesis, so the project focused on characterizing the functional consequences of the HSP90 and YODA protein interactions on these two important plant developmental processes and in plant response to heat stress. “We investigated the genetic and physical interactions between HSP90 proteins and the YODA kinase controlling the signaling sequence, through which the plant is able to respond to external stimuli,” said Šamaj.
Scientists from the Faculty of Science have also discovered that heat stress negatively affects the development of plant stomata. “And that includes the deregulation of MITOGEN-ACTIVATED KINASE 6 and the transcription factor SPEECHLESS, which participates in the transcription of hereditary information important for the development of stomata. Furthermore, the interaction between HSP90 and YODA is important for the regulation of polarity in embryogenesis. These results have been published in the prestigious journals Molecular Plant and Plant Physiology. A subsequent review article published in the Journal of Experimental Botany summarized the current knowledge about the biological functions of HSP90 proteins,” explained Šamaj.
Postdoctoral student Despina Samakovli and two doctoral students, Tereza Tichá and Tereza Vavrdová, together with their supervisors actively participated in the project. “Doctoral students learned methods of molecular cloning, Arabidopsis transformation and crossing, genotyping and phenotyping of mutant lines, progeny selection, microscopic methods, and data evaluation,” said Šamaj.
Both doctoral students later began new research work in postdoctoral positions in Belgium and Norway. “This project has made a significant contribution in building their scientific careers,” added Šamaj.