MOLSIG · Molecular signatures: a systems biology tool to understand how leaf development is constrained by drought

The EU has acknowledged that urgent action is needed to put Europe in the forefront of systems biology research including rapid adaptation of training schemes and investment in cutting-edge research. The MolSig project will provide the Marie Curie (MC) fellow with systems biology training via hands-on research activities to develop a new systems biology tool to link changes in transcript and protein abundance to leaf development under drought. Europe is facing more frequent and intense periods of drought leading to serious reductions in crop yields and it is vital to have a comprehensive understanding of how gene regulatory networks control plant growth under drought. The objectives of the research are: (i) to identify leaf growth/drought molecular signatures (transcripts and protein phosphorylation events) that report on biological processes occurring during leaf development under drought; (ii) to quantitatively measure phenotypic responses of leaf development under drought; (iii) to test how transcript and phosphoprotein signatures change during leaf development under drought; (iv) to employ computational modelling methods to use the transcript/phosphoprotein signatures to examine relationships between biological processes and their influence on leaf development under drought. During this project, the MC fellow will receive training in computational biology, and high-throughput technologies including deep phenotyping, Q-PCR robotic pipetting systems and shotgun mass spectrometry identification of protein phosphorylation events. Training in complementary skills will include project management, grant writing, systems biology staff supervision, collaboration building and institutional organization. The program will contribute to the MC fellow’s career development by introducing systems biology approaches to his research programs, enhancing his capacity to build European-wide collaborations, and strengthening his abilities in management at the institutional level.