IJPB Master 2 proposal
Finding key players in the initiation of plant somatic embryogenesis
Supervisor: Oumaya Bouchabké-Coussa, contact
Plant somatic embryogenesis (SE) has been used for decades as an efficient method for the micropropagation of valuable genotypes and the creation of transgenic - and now genome edited - lines in a wide range of species. But the molecular and cellular details of the process have not been fully characterized and the factors that promote - or impede - SE remain poorly understood. We study the initial steps of SE induction in the model monocotyledonous species Brachypodium distachyon. Our aim is to determine precisely (i) which cells react when triggered into proliferation in vitro and (ii) what are the salient features of the cells transitioning from a somatic to an embryogenic state. The student will combine cell biology with genetics and molecular biology approaches to study cell dedifferentiation followed by initiation of embryogenesis, as the first steps towards the regeneration of somatic embryos in the scutellum of B. distachyon. The same process is used for transgenesis and genome editing in the cereal crops. To understand the initial steps of SE, we have determined the precise position of the reactive cells in induced explants and identified genes whose expression marks key events associated with the formation of somatic embryos in immature B. distachyon seeds (Wehbi et al., 2022). To investigate the role of potential operators in the developmental transitions involved, the student will study the phenotypes associated with the genetic perturbation of candidates of interest. For this purpose, s/he will develop different approaches to alter gene expression in inducible and/or tissue-specific ways, resulting in controlled gain- or loss-of-function mutations. The phenotypes will be characterized based on the analysis of histological or optical sections in stained tissues. The outcome of the traineeship will be the identification of key players in the initiation of (somatic) plant embryogenesis, possibly leading to original methods solving persistent bottlenecks in the field of plant biotechnology and breeding.
Références
Wehbi H, Soulhat C, Morin H, Bendahmane A, Hilson P, Bouchabké-Coussa O (2022) One-week scutellar somatic embryogenesis in the monocot Brachypodium distachyon. Plants 11: 1068, https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11081068
Soulhat C, Wehbi H, Fierlej Y, Berquin P, Girin T, Hilson P, Bouchabké-Coussa O (2023) Fast-track transformation and genome editing in Brachypodium distachyon. Plant Methods 19: 31, https://doi.org/10.1186/s13007-023-01005-1
Funding for the project is provided within the framework of the SomaGreen ANR project
Research developed at the Institute Jean-Pierre Bourgin for Plant Sciences.
Finding key players in the initiation of plant somatic embryogenesis
Supervisor: Oumaya Bouchabké-Coussa, contact
Plant somatic embryogenesis (SE) has been used for decades as an efficient method for the micropropagation of valuable genotypes and the creation of transgenic - and now genome edited - lines in a wide range of species. But the molecular and cellular details of the process have not been fully characterized and the factors that promote - or impede - SE remain poorly understood. We study the initial steps of SE induction in the model monocotyledonous species Brachypodium distachyon. Our aim is to determine precisely (i) which cells react when triggered into proliferation in vitro and (ii) what are the salient features of the cells transitioning from a somatic to an embryogenic state. The student will combine cell biology with genetics and molecular biology approaches to study cell dedifferentiation followed by initiation of embryogenesis, as the first steps towards the regeneration of somatic embryos in the scutellum of B. distachyon. The same process is used for transgenesis and genome editing in the cereal crops. To understand the initial steps of SE, we have determined the precise position of the reactive cells in induced explants and identified genes whose expression marks key events associated with the formation of somatic embryos in immature B. distachyon seeds (Wehbi et al., 2022). To investigate the role of potential operators in the developmental transitions involved, the student will study the phenotypes associated with the genetic perturbation of candidates of interest. For this purpose, s/he will develop different approaches to alter gene expression in inducible and/or tissue-specific ways, resulting in controlled gain- or loss-of-function mutations. The phenotypes will be characterized based on the analysis of histological or optical sections in stained tissues. The outcome of the traineeship will be the identification of key players in the initiation of (somatic) plant embryogenesis, possibly leading to original methods solving persistent bottlenecks in the field of plant biotechnology and breeding.
Références
Wehbi H, Soulhat C, Morin H, Bendahmane A, Hilson P, Bouchabké-Coussa O (2022) One-week scutellar somatic embryogenesis in the monocot Brachypodium distachyon. Plants 11: 1068, https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11081068
Soulhat C, Wehbi H, Fierlej Y, Berquin P, Girin T, Hilson P, Bouchabké-Coussa O (2023) Fast-track transformation and genome editing in Brachypodium distachyon. Plant Methods 19: 31, https://doi.org/10.1186/s13007-023-01005-1
Funding for the project is provided within the framework of the SomaGreen ANR project
Research developed at the Institute Jean-Pierre Bourgin for Plant Sciences.
Leader:
Pierre Hilson