The project will unravel Calcium functions in a well-defined signalling cascade of the model plant species Arabidopsis thaliana. Here, the small secreted peptide IDA was found to act via two membrane associated receptor kinases, HAE and HSL2, to control the development of lateral roots and the abscission of organs during flower development. Interestingly, the addition of IDA peptide to plant tissues can trigger a rapid release of intracellular Calcium, which can be detected and visualised using fluorescent sensors and high resolution life cell imaging microscopy.
The master student will use modern tools in cell biology, molecular genetics and molecular biology to identify and study the signalling components that mediate between the IDA peptide, its perception by receptors and the release of Calcium. The project will be initiated and supervised by Research fellow Melinka Butenko in the Aalen lab. High resolution Calcium imaging and molecular interaction studies using novel multidimensional fluorescence imaging technologies will be performed at the Center of Advanced Imaging of the HHU, supervised by Prof. Rüdiger Simon.
The master student is expected to spend between 3 to 6 months at the collaborating institution in Germany. Financial support for the work abroad period will be provided.