Calcium-induced activation of transcription of defense response genes in plants
Main PI:Magnus Andersson, Department of Chemistry, Umeå University
Co-PI:Åsa Strand, Umeå Plant Science Centre, Umeå University
Abstract
Adapted stress responses help plants survive but often reduce crop yield and quality, which is an urgent issue under climate change. To support sustainable agriculture, it is crucial to understand how plants regulate gene expression under stress.
This project aims to identify how the calmodulin-binding transcription factor CAMTA3 is released from DNA to activate stress response genes. It is believed that calcium-bound calmodulin and phosphorylated CDK8 form a complex with CAMTA3 at elevated Ca²⁺ levels. A conformational change in this proposed complex could trigger DNA dissociation, enabling gene transcription. This structural rearrangement is key to how CAMTA3 distinguishes between gene activation and repression depending on cofactor presence.
Objectives
1. Express and purify CAMTA3, calmodulin (CaM7), and CDK8.
2. Study CAMTA3-DNA interactions using optical tweezers with multi-colour fluorescence microscopy.
3. Analyze CAMTA3 complex dynamics with caged Ca²⁺ release and time-resolved X-ray solution scattering (TR-XSS).
You will join expert research teams in biochemistry and biophysics, making this ideal for a biochemist seeking hands-on training in advanced structural biology.
About the PIs and their synergies
Prof. Åsa Strand investigates plant stress responses and identified CAMTA3 as a key transcription factor responding to cellular energy status. Prof. Magnus Andersson specializes in protein conformational dynamics using TR-XSS. Together, their work links protein structure to gene regulation under stress.
