Data for "Cellular Damage Triggers Mechano-Chemical Control of Cell Wall Dynamics and Patterned Cell Divisions in Plant Healing"

Arabidopsis Seedlings were plated on half-strength (0.5) Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium (Duchefa) with 1% (w/v) sucrose and 0.8% (w/v) agar (pH 5.7). The seeds were stratified for 2 d at 4°C. Seedlings were grown on vertically oriented plates in growth chambers under a 16-h light/8-h dark photoperiod at 21°C.

Plants, as sessile organisms are exposed to a variety of cellular damage caused by mechanical stresses, herbivore feeding, invading bacteria and nematodes. Parasitic nematodes represent a group of microscopic worms which induce plant cells damage that in turn, lead to a change in gene expression patterns and to the activation of a host defense response. Artificially to nematodes, laser ablation can cause similar damage and lead to the very same defense responses. This research proposal aims to identify important players controlling initial plant defense response generated by wounding. To identify genes involved in the initial plant defense responses, I will induce single cell and more progressed damage by laser ablation and nematodes. This will be done on wild type and ethylene signaling mutant roots of Arabidopsisfollowed by whole transcriptome shotgun sequence (RNA-seq). Next, I will characterize the role of identified proteins and their contribution to the wound mediated propagation of trio molecular events (electric signal, ROS, and Ca2+ production). To complete this approach, I will investigate how does the electrical signal together with ROS and Ca2+wave influence the intracellular organization and cell-wall integrity. Furthermore, I aim to investigate to what extent the wound-mediated electric signaling is evolutionary conserved. The proposed research will contribute to a new and exciting area to represent a milestone within plant research of defense responses.