Unravelling the importance of Aldehyde Dehydrogenases in the plant redox biology

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The reactive oxygen species (ROS) hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), superoxide radical anion (O2-), and hydroxyl radical (HO) are small molecules that activate gene expression and control several aspects of growth and development. Two modes of action can be distinguished for ROS: oxidative stress and redox biology. Oxidative stress results from the imbalance between the ROS production and detoxification systems, and ultimately leads to cell death. Redox biology is when ROS act as signalling molecules and control vital cellular functions. Environmental changes highly influence the mode of action of ROS between oxidative stress and redox biology. Compared to the oxidative stress, the molecular mechanisms of ROS signalling are still poorly understood, particularly in plants. My research will investigate the hypothesis that protein carbonylation is a biologically relevant posttranslational modification mediating ROS signalling and functions in plants. The long-term goal of this research is to identify and characterise ROS signalling mechanisms controlling the plant growth and biomass. To achieve this goal, my specific objectives for this research are i) to test the hypothesis of ROS signalling by protein carbonylation in plants, ii) to investigate the influence of intracellular iron on protein carbonylation and ROS signalling, and iii) to examine the influence of stress-responsive Aldehyde Dehydrogenases on protein carbonylation. The outcomes of this research will include information about the biological functions regulated by protein carbonylation in plants and how plants control carbonylation, a non-enzymatic post-translational modification, for signalling purpose. Based on these results, it will then be possible to study how ROS control plant growth and development through protein carbonylation. The proposed research program will provide a novel understanding of how environmental cues are precisely communicated to plants at cellular and molecular levels. This information can help formulate new biotechnological solutions to prevent or reverse detrimental effects of environmental changes (drought, high salinity, microbial infection, etc.) on the crops.