This year the Second International Plant Nitric Oxide Club Workshop, which was held last July 21 and 22 in Dijon, hosted some sixty French and foreign research scientists representing the main world teams working on nitrogen monoxide and its role in plant physiology. The Conference reported on current knowledge about the molecule in plants and dealt with the numerous technical barriers that will have to be overcome, and defined priorities for optimum enhancement of molecule related research.
At the Workshop, the 'Cellular and Molecular Signaling in Defense Reactions' team headed by Professor David Wendehenne at the 'Plant-Microbe-Environment' Joint Research Unit (INRA/CNRS/University of Burgundy) reported on the PIANO project funded by ANR (French national research agency) and the Burgundy Regional Council. The Project is working on apprehending and understanding the molecular mechanisms with which plant-produced nitrogen monoxide steers cells toward an appropriate response. The first results of the project, which has been certified by the Vitagora competitive cluster, have already been published in three journals since the beginning of the year.
David Wendehenne's team mainly focuses on studying plant defense reactions. "More specifically, we are studying the early stages of cellular signaling paths that are activated in plant cells, following the recognition of pathogen microorganisms or the molecules produced by the latter, which we call elicitors," he summed up. By studying their effects on model plants such as Arabidopsis thaliana, the team characterized several players of the cellular signaling pathways and reached a partial understanding of their their role in the induction of plant defense responses. It turns out that NO, nitrogen monoxide, is one of the players.
Joint Plant -Microbe-Environment Research Unit - Unité Mixte de Recherche "Plante-Microbe-Environnement" (INRA/CNRS/Burgundy University) - 'Cellular and Molecular Signaling in Defense Reactions' Team - Equipe "Signalisation Cellulaire et Moléculaire dans les Réactions de Défense" - David Wendehenne - email: wendehen@dijon.inra.fr
