Temperature is a key environmental variable influencing plant distribution. Plants have colonised most habitats, from the tropics to the arctic circle. How plants are able to adapt to climate is of fundamental interest and of particular relevance during a period of rapid climate change, where plants have already been seen to change their phenology and range. Despite much interest in this area, understanding has been limited by our lack of knowledge of the mechanisms underlying temperature perception in plants. Recently, the host lab for this proposal has shown that proteins containing prion-domains (PrD) are able to function as thermosensors by undergoing temperature dependent phase-change. In unpublished work, the group has found that Heat Shock Factors (HSFs), which are essential for the induction of the protective heat shock proteins, are also controlled by PrDs and undergo phase change. These molecular sensing mechanisms by HSFs provide a unique opportunity to investigate how variation in the PrDs may “tune” the temperature response such that plants may adapt their HSFs to have a response at a threshold appropriate for their climate. E.g. rice grows robustly under temperature conditions that represent a lethal heatshock for Arabidopsis. In this proposal, I shall combine my expertise in studying rice environmental sensing from my PhD studies with recent developments in the Wigge laboratory in studying phase change of the HSFs in response to heat. I will use a comparative biology approach to determine the temperature response set-points of HSFs in vitro from a range of plants that grow under very different temperature regimes, and relate the behaviour of the PrD domains of the HSFs to the biological response of the plants to temperature. Finally, I will directly test my hypothesis by making directed changes to the thermosensory PrDs to increase and decrease thermal responsiveness, and assay these new thermosensors directly in plants and in a yeast system.

How eukaryotes sense and integrate temperature information is an open question in biology. Plants have evolved to grow across a wide range of climates, and experience large temperature gradients geographically, seasonally and over the 24 h diurnal cycle. The distribution and phenology of plants has altered in response to climate-change, and crop yields decrease by about 10% for every 1ºC increase in temperature. The mechanisms by which plants respond to temperature are however poorly understood. We have recently discovered two major nodes for sensing temperature status by plants: (1) Transcriptional- key proteins required for plant temperature responses contain prion related domains and are directly controlled by temperature dependent phase separation. (2) Translational- transcripts show preferential translation at high temperature, and have thermoresponsive hairpin structures. Building on these discoveries, we propose an ambitious programme to understand the fundamental principles by which the cell senses and integrates temperature: (1) How do prion domain proteins sense temperature and control the activity of transcriptional regulators? What are the organising principles of their activity, and how can sequence variation such as repeat length tune and adapt thermoresponsive prion domain proteins to different climates? (Biochemistry and genetic analysis combined with high throughput functional screens) (2) How is translation affected by warm temperature? What is the RNA secondary structure code that enables certain transcripts to be preferentially translated at high temperature? (Ribo-seq, quantitative proteomics and transgenic approaches) (3) How can we use the knowledge gained above in (1) and (2) to engineer specific temperature response networks in yeast and plants? How can we create useful tools and assays to advance the field such as FRET biosensors for local temperature within the cell? (Bioinformatics, biochemistry and cell biology)

We need to increase the crop yield while reducing pesticide and use of inorganic fertiliser to meet the challenges of world population growth and climate change. Plant endophytic microorganisms can improve plant yield and enhance plant tolerance to abiotic stress as well as to pathogens under experimental conditions, but these effects are often not sufficiently stable for practical application. How do we boost the stability and reliability of the positive effects of endophytes on plants? We need to understand the genetic basis of beneficial interactions between crops and endophytes and extent this basis exhibits phenotypic plasticity at all interaction levels from the cellular to the field environment. This requires increasing our knowledge of the molecular mechanisms underlying the effects of endophytes, including intra and inter-kingdom exchange and distribution of resources (nutrients), signalling and possibly regulation between and inside the partners, the mutual induced production of secondary metabolites and the environmental cues which influence crop-endophyte interactions. The genetic variation and its plasticity in host and microbe will be exploited in to establish crop breeding and inoculum production processes for boosting the establishment and stability of plant-microbe mutualisms to benefit crop development, stress tolerance, pathogen resistance and quality. In this project we will provide fundamental biological as well as practical knowledge about interactions between endophytes and plants. This improved understanding will pave the way for increased use of endophytes to improve sustainability and plant productivity in a reliable way. The participants in this project comprise many of the key institutions and industries working with these problems and provide a uniquely strong consortium to address the key issues. Furthermore, the consortium will train a new generation of scientists who have the insight and skills to continue this task in their careers.

SiEUGreen aspires to enhance the EU-China cooperation in promoting urban agriculture for food security, resource efficiency and smart, resilient cities. Building on the model of zero-waste and circular economy, it will demonstrate how technological and societal innovation in urban agriculture can have a positive impact on society and economy, by applying novel resource-efficient agricultural techniques in urban and peri-urban areas, developing innovative approaches for social engagement and empowerment and investigating the economic, environmental and social benefits of urban agriculture. In order to achieve its objectives, SiEuGreen brings together a multi-disciplinary Consortium of European and Chinese researchers, technology providers, SMEs, financiers, local and regional authorities and citizen communities. The project consists in the preparation, deployment and evaluation of showcases in 5 selected European and Chinese urban and peri-urban areas: university in Norway, community gardens in Denmark, previously unused municipal areas with dense refugee population in Turkey, big urban community farms in Beijing and Central China. Throughout SiEUGreen’s implementation, EU and China will share technologies and experiences, thus contributing to the future developments of urban agriculture and urban resilience in both continents. The impact measurement during and especially beyond the project period is a key component in the project’s design. Information and results obtained from the project will be disseminated through diverse communication and dissemination tools including, social media, an innovative app enhancing urban co-design, stakeholder conferences, hand-on training workshops, showcase demonstration forums, municipality events. A sustainable business model allowing SiEUGreen to live beyond the project period is planned by joining forces of private investors, governmental policy makers, communities of citizens, academia and technology providers.