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Secondary messengers in the stress response

Gert Bange, PHD NAME

Research question

Which role play secondary messenger molecules in the stress response in chloroplasts? How are they regulated, to which signals do they react and which targets are addressed?

Background

Secondary messengers (or ‘messengers’) are essential for the adaptation of transcription and translation to environmental and stress conditions (see B2 and B4). The chloroplast, like bacteria, has a very elaborate stringent control system based on the stress nucleotides (p)ppGpp. In chloroplasts, stringent control takes place to ensure the efficiency of photosynthesis. This regulatory mechanism enables precise coordination of the various processes within the chloroplast to ensure optimal energy conversion and carbon fixation. However, this is poorly understood.

Although it is clear that (p)ppGpp assumes central regulatory roles in the chloroplast, such as the light-dark reaction, the molecular mechanisms of action are poorly understood. The aim is to understand the (p)ppGpp-dependent stress response and its effects on plastid transcription, translation and the biogenesis of photosynthetic complexes.