Manganese(Mn) is an essential element for plants. As a cofactor of various enzymes and building block of biomolecules, it plays an important role in photosynthesis, production of cell walls and plasma membrane components. Besides, manganese is a cofactor of the superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) enzyme that detoxifies superoxide in the cells. Furthermore, in yeast, Mn also acts as a cytosolic antioxidant in a MnSOD-independent manner, but its mode of action remains elusive(Culotta et Daly (2013) Antioxidants & Redox Signaling: 19(9), 933-944). In plants, such function seems to be conserved since the ROS production depends on Mn level in the cytosol, which is controlled by intracellular Mn transporters(Alejandro et al (2017) The Plant Cell: 29(12), 3068-3084).
Transporters of manganese are the gate-keepers of cellular manganese and ensure the proper partitioning of manganese in the cells and organs. Perturbation of such Mn transport processes consequently affects photosynthesis efficiency,flower fertility, seed quality and response to various stress stimuli.The student will be involved in characterising the function of Mn transporters from the NRAMP and BICAT families, their interdependence and essentiality for plant processes, with special emphasis on ROS homeostasis.
Experimentally, this will involve genotyping and phenotyping of newly created transgenic lines and multiple order mutants of manganese transporters.Furthermore, the student will exploit manganese probes developed in the team indifferent mutant backgrounds and experimental conditions to localize Mn at sub-cellular level, quantify total elemental concentrations (ICP) and monitor ROS through synthetic and genetic probes. The student will therefore be involved in growing plants in vitro, and in soil,employ methods in plant genetics and molecular biology, analytical chemistry,fluorescence microscopy, luminescence imaging and image analysis.
