Stress signaling to the nucleus

Group leaders : Marie-Edith CHABOUTEAlexandre BERR

Research area

Plants are sessile organisms that are continuously exposed to various stresses (mechanical, abiotic and biotic stresses) during their development. They have evolved mechanisms to regulate their growth and adapt to these stresses, through signaling pathways transmitted to the nucleus.We aim at deciphering these pathways using interdisciplinary approaches (-omics, cellular, physics, genetics and (epi)genomics) through the study of key players located at the nucleo-cytoplasmic interface. We are interested in GIP proteins, regulators of both microtubular networks and nuclear architecture, as well as in regulators of genome integrity maintenance in response to mechanical and osmotic stresses.

Our research programs are partly funded by international (HFSP, IdEX Unistra) and national (ANR) programmes. Our team is part of an European COST network (INDEPTH- Action 16212).

Projects

Role of GIPs and their partners in the mechanical stress response

Project manager:Marie-Edith CHABOUTÉ

GIPs which are present on both sides of the nuclear envelope, likely participate in signal transduction upon abiotic stress. As gip1gip2 mutants exhibit strongly altered nuclear phenotypes, their response to mechanical stimuli may be impaired. We are looking how GIPs are involved in the responses to stress perceived at the nuclear envelope and our goal is to identify the underlying mechanisms.

Implication of GIPs in the abiotic stress response

Project manager:Etienne HERZOG

We want to understand how the activity of GIP proteins is regulated within already identified and partially characterized complexes (at the microtubule nucleation sites and the centromeres) and which signaling pathways are involved. We aim at determining wether GIPs can be ROS sensors and relay and/or control responses to environmental stresses, notably via an oxidative signaling pathway

Chromatin dynamics in response to mechanical forces in plants

Project manager:Alexandre BERR

The nucleus is delimited by the nuclear membrane and contains the genomic DNA which is organized into a nucleoprotein structure named chromatin. Our objective is to understand the role played by the nuclear envelope as a continuum between the cytoplasm and the nuclear inside with a special focus on the chromatin dynamics. Exploration of this continuum will provide a better understanding of how stress signals are transduced to the nucleus where they affect all gene functions.

Members

Selected publications

  • SINGH G., BATZENSCHLAGER M., TOMKOVA D., HERZOG E., HOFFMANN E., HOULNÉ G., SCHMIT A.C., BERR A. and CHABOUTÉ M.E.

    GIP1 and GIP2 contribute to the maintenance of genome stability at the nuclear periphery

    Frontiers in Plant Science, 12:804928, 2022. | DOI : 10.3389/fpls.2021.804928DOI logo

  • SINGH G., PEREIRA D., BAUDREY S., HOFFMANN E., RYCKELYNCK M., ASNACIOS A. and CHABOUTÉ M.E.

    Real-time tracking of root hair nucleus morphodynamics using a microfluidic approach

    Plant Journal, 108:303-313, 2021. | DOI : 10.1111/tpj.15511DOI logo

  • GOSWAMI R., ASNACIOS A., MILANI P., GRAINDORGE S., HOULNÉ G., MUTTERER J., HAMANT O. and CHABOUTÉ M.E.

    Mechanical shielding in plant nuclei.

    Current Biology, 2013-2025, 2020. | DOI : 10.1016/j.cub.2020.03.059DOI logo

  • BATZENSCHLAGER M., LERMONTOVA I., SCHUBERT V., FUCHS J., BERR A., KOINI M.A., HOULNÉ G., HERZOG E., RUTTEN T., ALIOUA A., FRANSZ P., SCHMIT A.C. and CHABOUTÉ M.E.

    Arabidopsis MZT1 homologs GIP1 and GIP2 are essential for centromere architecture

    Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 112(28):8656-8660, 2015. | DOI : 10.1073/pnas.1506351112DOI logo

  • BATZENSCHLAGER M., HLEIBIEH K., JANSKI N., HOULNÉ G., HERZOG E., EVRARD J.L., BAUMBERGER N., ERHARDT M., NOMINÉ Y., KIEFFER B., SCHMIT A.C. and CHABOUTÉ M.E.

    The GIP gamma-tubulin complex-associated proteins are involved in nuclear architecture in Arabidopsis thaliana.

    Frontiers in Plant Science, 4(480):doi:10.103389/fpls.2013.00480, 2013. | DOI : 10.3389/fpls.2013.00480DOI logo