Dr. Salma Balazadeh

Group: Stress Control Networks
New position: Associate professor at the University of Leiden, Netherlands

The research group of Dr. Salma Balazadeh aimed to functionally characterise and identify the gene regulatory networks (GRNs) of transcription factors (TFs) involved in the adaptation of plant growth to environmental changes in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana and transfer the knowledge obtained in Arabidopsis to crops such as tomato. The group also investigated the molecular machinery that underlies the memory and forgetfulness of stress by focusing on the role of autophagy for heat stress memory in Arabidopsis. Plant responses to stress are conrrolled by multiple layers of regulation, including e.g. TF-GRNs and autophagy.

Abiotic stress impairs the growth, development and productivity of plants, a response often associated with reduction in shoot growth followed by accelerated senescence and lower yield. Plants have an inherent ability to tolerate certain levels of stress; this characteristic, called basal tolerance, varies between species and genotypes. In addition to this inherent ability to survive stress, plants have the ability to acquire tolerance to otherwise lethal stresses. Experimental evidence indicates the existence of a molecular “memory” that enables palnts to withstand stress better if previously confronted with the same or a similar type of stress. However, the regulatory mechanisms by which plants integrate stress-derived signals into the growth and developmental programs and the molecular machinery that underlies stress memory in plants are so far largely unknown. The research of the group focused on the following main areas: unravelling the regulatory networks of transcription factors cotrolling the adaptation of plant growth to environmental challenges and elucidating the role of autophagy for the regulation of heat stress memory.