Grant: Discovery Grants Program - Individual

Cell-cell communication is integral to the evolution of multicellularity. In plants, intercellular signaling mediated by peptide ligands has emerged as a key component of diverse developmental processes, including stomatal patterning. Development of stomata, valves on the plant epidermis used for gas exchange with the atmosphere, are formed through a series of division and differentiation events. Several members of cysteine-rich peptide family, known as EPIDERMAL PATTERNING FACTORS (EPFs), act in distinct stages of stomatal development in Arabidopsis, but interestingly they all require the same downstream receptors and Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases (MAPKs) to function. This proposal aims to address a major unresolved question in peptide signaling and plant development: how different peptides elicit unique biological responses using the same sets of downstream signaling components. We will study specificity-determining factors at the level of receptors and MAPKs in each EPF signaling pathway having a specific role during stomatal development, and we will examine novel ligand-receptor and receptor signaling complexes to decipher the mechanisms of signaling specificity. In addition, we will uncover the function and downstream components of EPF peptides in grass stomatal patterning to understand how conserved peptides determine the species diversity in stomatal shape and pattern. This research will bring significant insights into our understanding of molecular complexity, conservation, and specificity of peptide signaling that enforces proper development in plants. A deep understanding of the mechanisms controlling stomatal development will also allow us to develop strategies to improve water-use efficiency and biomass production of agriculturally important plants.