A9: Plasticity of lipid metabolism in Arabidopsis thaliana exposed to different temperature regimes

Dr. Sandra Correa

Institute for Biochemistry and Biology, University of Potsdam, Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 24-25, 14476 Potsdam-Golm

email: Cordobaumpimp-golm-mpgpde , sandra.correa.cordoba.1@uni-potsdam.de

Prof. Dr. Alisdair Fernie

Zentraler Metabolismus, Max-Planck-Institut für Molekulare Pflanzenphysiologie, Am Mühlenberg 1, 14476 Potsdam-Golm

email: fernie@mpimp-golm.mpg.de

Tel. +49-331 567 8211

Open positions:

Position CRC1644/A91 – PhD student Correa group

Position CRC1644/A92 – PhD student Fernie group

Summary

Plants adapt to changing environments by displaying responses that involve physiological, morphological, and biochemical changes. Such responses have gained widespread attention in recent years given the need to understand the capacity of plants to adapt to altered weather patterns resulting  from climate change. We will investigate the ability of plants to adjust their lipid composition to fluctuating environmental temperatures, through the identification and characterization of the mechanisms responsible for the plasticity of lipid metabolism. To achieve our goal, we will use a combination of metabolomics, quantitative genetics, and advanced modelling and simulation analysis. This is a research topic that has only recently begun to be addressed and therefore constitutes a great opportunity to generate cutting-edge knowledge and participate in a variety of scientific collaborations in a multicultural environment.

Project-related publications

Correa Córdoba, S., Tong, H., Burgos, A., Zhu F., Alseekh S., Fernie A.R., Nikolski Z. (2023) Identification of gene function based on models capturing natural variability of Arabidopsis thaliana lipid metabolism. Nat Commun, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-40644-9

Luzarowska U., Ruß A-K., Joubès J., Batsale M., Szymański J., Periyakavanam Thirumalaikumar V.,  Luzarowski M., Wu S., Zhu F., Endres N., Khedhayir S., Schumacher J.,  Correa S.M.,  Skirycz A., Fernie A.R., Li-Beisson Y., Fusari C.M., Brotman Y. (2023). Hello darkness, my old friend: 3-Ketoacyl-Coenzyme A Synthase4 is a branch point in the regulation of triacylglycerol synthesis in Arabidopsis by re-channeling fatty acids under carbon starvation. The Plant Cell, https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koad059

Correa S.M., Alseekh S., Atehortúa L., Brotman Y., Ríos-Estepa R., Fernie A.R., Nikoloski Z. (2020). Model-assisted identification of metabolic engineering strategies for Jatropha curcas lipid pathways. The Plant Journal, doi.org/10.1111/tpj.14906

Correa, S.M., Fernie A.R., Nikoloski Z., Brotman Y. (2020). Towards model-driven characterization and manipulation of plant lipid metabolism. Progress in Lipid Research, doi.org/10.1016/j.plipres.2020.101051.