Coreceptors of abscisic acid and their SnRK2 protein kinase targets as regulators of plant metabolism and growth

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Plants integrate environmental and endogenous signals to optimize growth and fitness. The phytohormone abscisic acid (ABA) is a key player that allows plants to coordinate germination, transpiration, and growth in response to the environmental setting. ABA is the prime abiotic stress signal induced under water deficit. Under well-watered conditions, ABA also fulfills crucial roles in fine-tuning growth and controlling carbon metabolism. Both these regulatory processes are only rudimentarily understood on a molecular level. The project aims to elucidate the molecular mechanisms of ABA signaling for regulating leaf initiation and carbon metabolism. Based on preliminary results the working hypothesis has been developed that specific ABA coreceptors and their targeted SnRK2s protein kinases are key players of these regulatory processes. The project goal will be pursued in three work packages addressing the objective of defining the responsible ABA coreceptors and SnRK2 protein kinases for leaf initiation and controlling carbon metabolism, analyzing the SnRK2 regulation by ABA coreceptors, and identifying downstream acting targets.