Plant Protective Proteins
What are the proteins that protect plants from environmental constraints ?
To tolerate unfavorable environmental situations, plants have developed strategies based on the implementation of numerous biochemical and molecular mechanisms. The PPV team is interested in deciphering the roles of protein players that contribute to the adaptation of plants to fluctuations in their physical and biological environment.
In natural conditions, plants are permanently exposed to changing environment due to variations in temperature, light intensity and water availability, or apparition of pathogens. These constraints impair cell metabolism and photosynthetic activity, and consequently lead to growth limitation and decreased yield for cultivated species.
Plants have evolved multiple responses allowing them to adapt to their changing environment. We study the functions of protein actors in stress signalization, and in prevention or repair of damage in relation with redox homeostasis. Environmental constraints are generally associated with a production of reactive oxygen species, which play key functions in standard conditions, but at high level lead to oxidative stress and damage in macromolecules and cell structures.
To carry out this research in integrative plant physiology, we implement a multidisciplinary strategy based on biophysical, biochemical, molecular, genetic, proteomic and imaging approaches, using mainly the plant model Arabidopsis thaliana.
Team manager
Pascal Rey
Contact the team
Key words
Higher plants, environmental constrains, stress responses, chloroplast, photosynthesis, proteins, lipocalin, thiol reductases, oxidoreduction, signalization, stomata.