[Seminars] PSB event reminder

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Calendar Name: seminars
Scheduled for: Tuesday, April 17 2012, 14:00 - 15:30
Event text:    Prof Jaideep Mathur
	       
	       Laboratory of Plant Development and Interactions
	       Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology
	       University of Guelph
	       
	       Guelph
	       Ontario
	       CANADA
Details:       “Organelle Extensions: Uncovering new facets of
	       subcellular behaviour for maintaining homeostasis in
	       plants”
	       
	       ABSTRACT
	       Despite their inability to move away from stressful
	       conditions, plants, in comparison to animals, have much
	       longer life spans. How do plants manage stress while
	       remaining 'rooted' to a spot? Perhaps, plant cells are
	       able to respond to environmental stimuli rapidly and
	       minimize subcellular stress levels before they become
	       intolerable. Perhaps they do not need to move away! This
	       fundamental thinking forms the basis for research in my
	       lab. Using a judicious combination of molecular-genetic
	       techniques including a wide range of targeted
	       fluorescent protein probes, normal and mutant transgenic
	       plants we have started uncovering the rapid sub-cellular
	       response machinery in plants. We find that instead of
	       dividing, many organelles extend their surfaces
	       transiently by creating thin protrusions that can extend
	       for considerable distances within the cell. This
	       ‘primary’ membrane-aided response prevents the build up
	       of toxic by-products within the cell. Alternatively,
	       organelle extensions are used for metabolite dispersal
	       and exchange, as well as for ‘squeezing’ past other
	       organelles in narrow vacuole-dominated intracellular
	       spaces. Notably, persistent stress acting on membranes
	       does trigger molecular cascades that over a longer time
	       scale result in division of organelles. Live-imaging of
	       organelle extensions and their dynamic interactions
	       challenges our view of the static plant cell built up
	       using snapshots from fixed tissues and paves the way for
	       a better understanding of plants and their rapid
	       subcellular responses.

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