Research

Åsa Strand sitting on her desk in her office at Umeå Plant Science CentrePhoto: Mattias Pettersson

The overall goal of the research in my group is to understand the regulation and control of cellular energy metabolism. A tight choreography of the nuclear and organellar genomes within the eukaryotic cell is essential for the establishment of cellular energy metabolism during development and for acclimation to changing demands on cellular metabolism when growth conditions are changing. Our projects endeavour to identify the intracellular signalling mechanisms that coordinate the dynamic interaction between the different genomes during major cellular metabolic transitions.

Mitochondria and chloroplasts are the powerhouses of the cell and exposure to stress inhibits metabolic activities leading to severe constraints on cellular energy homeostasis. Failure to restore either respiration or photosynthesis severely affects vigour, and possibly survival, of the organism. Communication between the organelles and the nucleus, so called retrograde signalling networks, are essential for the recovery of energy metabolism following stress but also for the establishment of cellular energy metabolism. Mutants where this communication is impaired have dysfunctional organelles and severely impaired cellular energy metabolism. For plants this can have fatal consequences, and in humans dysfunctional mitochondria-to-nucleus signalling has been linked to the aging process and to several severe diseases.

To address the regulatory mechanisms that control the dynamic interaction between the different genomes we take an integrative approach using a combination of genetics, molecular biology, biochemistry, cell biology and biological modelling. We also combine several model systems including Arabidopsis plants and an Arabidopsis cell line, as well as conifers such as spruce and pine. Our work is divided into two large lines of research composed of several sub-projects.

Chloroplast development and establishment of photosynthetic activity

In this project the focus is on the signalling network controlling the development of functional chloroplasts and the establishment of photosynthetic activity. This developmental process drives a cellular metabolic shift in the cell from requiring external energy sources for growth and development to becoming a supplier of energy to support growth of new developing tissues. This transition in cellular metabolic activity requires a complex regulatory network involving several cellular compartments, extensive chromatin reorganisation and massive transcriptional changes. Several sub-projects address the different aspects of this process.

Illustration depicting signalling components that are involved in chloroplast development and establishment of photosynthetic activityFigure 1. Overview of the signalling components controlling the development of functional chloroplasts and the establishment of photosynthesis in Arabidopsis (Hernández-Verdeja et al., Physiol Plant. 2020).

Integration of energy and retrograde signalling pathways during plant stress responses

Within this project we investigate the integration of energy and retrograde signalling pathways during plant stress responses. We have identified CDKE1 as a central component receiving stress induced retrograde signals for both chloroplasts and mitochondria. Furthermore, CDKE1 regulates the redistribution of energy and metabolism towards either growth or stress response. Given the position of CDKE1 in the Mediator complex, this kinase could act as a sensitive relay between organellar retrograde signals and their cognate promoter-bound, stress-induced TFs and RNA polymerase II (RNAP II), regulating the expression of appropriate genes in response to stress conditions. Several sub-projects address the interaction partners of CDKE1 and the targets for its kinase activity.

Illustration depicting the interplay between energy and retrograde signalling pathways during stress responses in plantsFigure 2. Integration of retrograde signalling and energy related pathways by CDKE1 and the Mediator complex (Crawford et al., J Exp Bot. 2017).