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Bad signalling molecules, good signalling molecules?

Bad signalling molecules, good signalling molecules?

The positive and negative signalling roles of the strigolactones could be the result of a paradigm: enemies of plants recruit molecules that are essential to the plant as cues. The implication of this paradigm is that other plant-produced signalling molecules known to be abused by plant enemies likely have another, beneficial essential function in plants. In a number of projects funded by the ERC, an EU-Marie Curie fellowship (Nemhatch) and NWO-TTW we address this implication using an innovative approach in a new area by setting out to discover a new signalling role for plant produced signalling molecules that attract pathogenic organisms to plants such as nematodes. The hypothesis here is that these signalling molecules must have another, positive, function for the plant. Also with these signalling molecules we will investigate another implication of the paradigm: is biological specificity in these molecules mediated by the creation of structural diversity and how could the pathogenic organisms evolve perception of these plant produced molecules. This work should shed light on the significance of structural diversity in signalling molecules and the co-evolution of perception and may result in the discovery of a new class of signalling molecules in plants. It will also provide the fundamental knowledge enabling biotechnological and agronomical applications to control parasitation by a range of organisms.

Bouwmeester signalling molecules image