Exploring the logic of transcriptional circuitry during DNA damage in plants at the single cell level

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The maintenance of genome integrity, especially in meristems that generate new organs and tissues throughout the life of the plant, is essential for the survival and growth of plants. However, different cells, even within a meristems, react very differently towards DNA damage. Several transcription factors controlling the DNA damage response (DDR) in plants have been identified. However, how and in what order they act to induce different responses in different cell types remains an open question. The coordinated activation of successive levels of response, and the differential control of cell division and cell death in different cell types, are essential to preserve meristematic function in response to DNA damage. In this project, we propose to spatially and temporally resolve the regulatory network associated with DDR in the root meristem. The root meristem is generally the first to be exposed to potential toxic substances in the environment, and is also essential for root growth, and thus for the whole plant. By combining the most recent genomic techniques (snRNAseq and snATACseq), cell biology (live-imaging) and biochemistry (proximity labelling), we will reconstruct the regulatory networks involved in the DDR in a cell-specific manner. This model will be validated by reverse genetics and molecular biology (ChIP) approaches. Beyond the spatio-temporal resolution of the DDR, which is essential to understand how meristematic function is preserved in response to stress, the implementation of these integrative approaches will pave the way for similar studies applied to other physiological contexts such as heat stress or drought, thus addressing the major challenges associated with plant growth in the context of climate change.