[Plsgs] SPLS seminar speaker April 9 - Dr. Tessa Burch-Smith

[Woodson, Jesse D - (jessewoodson)]

Dear SPLS graduate students,

I am hosting next week's SPLS seminar speaker Dr. Tessa Burch-Smith from the Danforth Center<https://www.danforthcenter.org/our-work/principal-investigators/tessa-burch-smith/>

Her work broadly revolves around cell-to-cell signaling in plants during stress and infection. I expect a fantastic seminar and urge everyone to attend.

If you can, please sign up<https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1IJErwqFLiroxAa0wtINzQJT8F5KekCw8AkEvuv4UzTo/edit?usp=sharing> to have lunch with her on Tuesday April 9.

Thank you and please let me know if you have any questions.

Best,

-Jesse

Dr. Tessa Burch-Smith - Associate member, Danforth Center
Seminar Tuesday April 9, 4:00 PM - Marley 230 (Zoom link will also be provided

Title: Insights into regulating intercellular communication via plasmodesmata

Plasmodesmata (PD) link the cytoplasm of two adjacent cells, allowing intercellular trafficking of solutes, signaling molecules, protein, RNA and ribonucleoprotein complexes. The regulation of plasmodesmata-mediated trafficking is essential for plant growth and development. A hypothesis called Organelle-nucleus-plasmodesmata-signaling (ONPS) developed by our group posits that specific changes in organellar (plastids or mitochondria) state lead to signaling to the nucleus (chloroplast-to-nucleus retrograde signaling, CRS) which tunes expression of nucleus-encoded genes associated with plasmodesmal regulation. Investigation of known signaling pathways involved in chloroplast-to-nucleus retrograde signaling suggests that these pathways are also involved in regulating plasmodesmata.  Indeed, we have found that intermediates in the tetrapyrrole biosynthetic pathway may have an important role in ONPS.  In the Arabidopsis thaliana ise2 mutant, there is increased intercellular trafficking and increased numbers of branched PD. Gene expression analyses in A. thaliana embryos and plants with reduced ISE2 expression identified genes associated with glucosinolate biosynthesis and metabolism as highly affected by changes in ISE2 expression. Further investigations have revealed a role for aliphatic glucosinolates in mediating ISE2’s effects on intercellular trafficking.  Together, these studies reveal complexity in the cellular signaling mechanisms that regulate intercellular trafficking and illuminate the important roles of metabolites in signaling.


Jesse Woodson, PhD
Associate Professor, School of Plant Sciences
University of Arizona
Office: Marley 541E
Office phone: (520) 621-3970
Lab phone: (520) 621-4746
https://cals.arizona.edu/spls/content/jesse

Mailing address:
303 Forbes Hall
1140 E. South Campus Drive
University of Arizona
Tucson, AZ 85721-0036

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