Horizon Europe MetaboSignal Project: Revealing novel metabolite-driven signaling pathways regulating carbon/nitrogen imbalance associated with plant stress

Environmental stress triggers metabolic changes that alter the internal carbon/nitrogen (C/N) balance in plants to promote tolerance at the expense of growth. However, the metabolic and genetic components involved in the precise coordination of nutrient status remain largely unknown. The goal of MetaboSignal is to elucidate novel signaling mechanisms governing nutrient balance by using C/N stress conditions as a surrogate.

This 3-year project proposes the integration of molecular genetics and biological chemistry to identify signaling functions of intermediate metabolites derived from C and N metabolism and to characterize novel nutritional sensors of C/N balance. Here, several innovative and powerful methods for chemical distribution mapping, proteomics, and transcriptomic analyses are integrated into a convergent workflow with functional gene characterization to be carried out at cutting-edge institutions such as the University of California, San Diego and the Polytechnic University of Madrid. The implementation of this multidisciplinary proposal will greatly strengthen the scientific profile of the fellows and uncover novel metabolite-controlled signaling pathways useful for knowledge-based improvements in plant nutrition and crop yield of scientific and societal relevance.