Evolution of SERK-mediated specificity in development and immunity (D11#)

• Subject Area: Organismic Interactions, Chemical Ecology and Microbiomes of Plant Systems
• Term: since 2023
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 232631280

SERKs act as general co-receptors of many leucine-rich repeat receptor kinases (LRR-RKs) involved in plant development and immunity. During evolution, SERKs diversified in eudicots forming two clades with overlapping and distinct roles. We will use an evolutionary approach to investigate SERKs neo- and sub-functionalization in different biological processes. The combination of phylogenetic and functional analyses in Marchantia and Arabidopsis will reveal SERKs determinants of specificity and the adaptation of their associated receptors in an evolutionary context.

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres
• Subproject of: SFB 1101: Molecular Encoding of Specificity in Plant Processes
• Applicant Institution: Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen
• Project Head: Professorin Dr. Isabel Monte