Interdepartmental Plant Biology 2025 Spring Student Seminar Series (PLBIO 6960) 

Presentation:

FERONIA regulates ethylene signaling by phosphorylating NF-YB3

Abstract:

FERONIA (FER), a Receptor Kinase, plays a key role in many physiological processes, including plant immunity, growth, and reproduction. Phospho-proteomics and in vitro kinase assay identified transcription factor (TF) NF-YB3 as a substrate of FER. NF-YB3 has a known role in heat stress response, ER stress response, disease resistance, and flowering time regulation. There are 2 subclasses of NF-Y TFs, Ie., NF-TA, NF-YB, and NF-YC. They usually form a heterotrimer among themselves to regulate these responses. In humans, these TFs have one copy of each, and they are involved in various cellular processes and human diseases, including cancer, development, and metabolism. In contrast, NF-Y transcription factors have functionally diverged a lot in plants and regulate various developmental and stress responses. We have preliminary data that NF-YB3 is involved in ethylene signaling, and the role is FERONIA phosphorylation-dependent. To investigate this, NFYB3^SA (Phosopho-Null) and NFYB3^SD (Phopho-Mimic) lines are being developed. Interaction between NF-YB3 and ethylene pathway TFs is also being considered. Also, fer-4nf-yb3 double mutants and nf-yb3nf-yb2 double mutants would be good genetic tools to decipher genetic interaction. 

Presenter: Saumyapriya Rana

Guo Lab
Department of Genetics, Development, and Cell Biology

Saumya received his BS-MS dual degree from the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Berhampur, in 2023. He did his master's thesis on plant epigenetics from the National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bangalore, in 2023. In Fall 2023, he joined the IPB program, and he is currently working on FERONIA substrates in Dr. Guo's lab. 

Rana Seminar Flyer (PDF)