Grones Group - Plasma Membrane Structure ©Hotpot
Similarly as the borders between countries, plasma membrane (PM) is serving as a natural boundary between the cellular constituents and their surroundings. Beyond serving as a protective barrier, the PM also plays a crucial role in facilitating communication between cells and their external environment, thus making it a key location to study this interaction. Perturbation of the PM`s function or composition has drastic effects on cell survival, thereby detrimentally affecting the overall development and viability of plants.
Up to date, our understanding of the dynamic changes in the PM proteome in response to various environmental stimuli is limited in terms of both spatial and temporal aspects. While studies investigating the composition of the PM, including its proteome and lipids, as well as its spatial organization, have shown gradual advancements, numerous questions still remain unresolved.
In my research group, our focus lies in unraveling the intricate organization of the PM in response to diverse environmental cues. We aim to identify both the intrinsic and extrinsic membrane organizers that play crucial roles in these dynamic processes. To achieve this, we utilize plant-derived stress response peptides as a tool for comprehensive characterization, combining them with advanced techniques in biochemistry, state-of-the-art confocal microscopy, and cellular biology.