Intercellular Vesicular Communication in Plants
EMSL Project ID
50459
Abstract
Exosomes are powerful vehicles for local, distal and even transpecies cell-to-cell communication in diverse eukaryotes, but whether plant extracellular vesicles can act similarly to exosomes characterized in animals and are used for plant intercellular communication remains undetermined. High resolution -omic and imaging technologies, such as that available through EMSL, are necessary for this work because the plant extracellular vesicles are small and of relatively low abundance. The proposed work is builds a foundation to test the hypothesis that plant extracellular vesicles may function as information transporters between neighboring plant cells, distant plant cells, and invading fungal cells. Our goals are to generate extracellular fluorescent markers by identifying resident proteins and creating fusion proteins specifically targeted to the vesicles. Proteomics and transcriptomics of purified vesicles will reveal both the vesicle cargo and transmembrane proteins that may be critical for vesicle formation, secretion, targeting, and uptake. High-resolution microscopy will increase our understanding of the accumulation, localization and dynamic movements of the vesicles and thus being to reveal potential functions for plant extracellular vesicles. The proposed work is well aligned with the goals of the Biological Sciences Area focus. Completion of this research will reveal potential new insights into intercellular communication in plants, including providing new knowledge regarding the spatial organization and functioning of membrane structures and organelles, and how such cell and cell membrane interactions may enable plant robustness in diverse environmental conditions. This research will shed light on mechanistic underpinnings of how molecular and genetic information may cross cellular compartments, move within the plant structure and enable communications and defense with interacting organisms. In the future, our knowledge of regulation and function of plant extracellular vesicles may play inform new approaches to controlling metabolic pathways important for biosynthesis of biofuels and other bioproducts.
Project Details
Project type
Exploratory Research
Start Date
2018-10-21
End Date
2019-09-30
Status
Closed
Released Data Link
Team
Principal Investigator
Related Publications
Dai Y., H.A. Ogilvie, Y. Liu, M. Huang, L. Markillie, H.D. Mitchell, and E.J. Borrego, et al. 2019. "Metadata of the article that will be visualized in OnlineFirst." Planta 250, no. 6. PNNL-SA-147546. doi:10.1007/s00425-019-03273-5