Watchers on the Wall: Decoding the Early Stages of Plant Cell Wall Integrity

Cell walls, vital for plant structure and defence, respond to stress with dynamic changes.

The “Watchers on the Wall” project seeks to elucidate the initial reactions of Arabidopsis thaliana cell walls to stress, with a focus on the interplay between pattern-triggered immunity (PTI) and cell wall integrity (CWI) mechanisms.

Based on preliminary data, I hypothesise that swift changes in cell walls immediately after elicitor exposure critically influence later plant responses.

Here, I aim to closely examine these initial mechanical and chemical cell wall perturbations and their effects on CWI responses and plant defence against pathogens.A challenge in studying CWI arises from its dynamic nature, needing high spatiotemporal resolution.

Employing advanced Brillouin-Raman microscopy, this study will provide in vivo, real-time insights into cell wall composition and mechanics following elicitor treatment.

Additionally, by developing chemo-optogenetic tools, I aim to overcome traditional methodological limitations by enabling targeted, controlled cell wall perturbations directly observable.By studying these early interactions, “Watchers on the Wall” intends to bridge the knowledge gap on how cell wall signals initiate and modulate plant defence, offering a new perspective on plant immunity.

The expected results will highlight the crucial role of cell walls in environmental stress responses and set the stage for further research into the micro-macroscale connection in plant science.