New Horizons in Plant Biotechnology: Getting to grips with the in vivo dynamics of subcellular stress physiology in plants
“The energy conversion that occurs in cells requires tight surveillance and dynamic adjustment to meet demands, maintain efficiency and avoid dysfunction. This is particularly relevant in plant cells which are directly exposed to frequent and often dramatic changes in their immediate environment, including physiological transitions e.g. in illumination or stress e.g. by limited oxygen availability. Yet, our understanding of the dynamics of energy conversion on cell physiology at the cell compartment level is limited. We have been using quantitative confocal microscopy and fluorimetry to assess transitions in cell physiology in vivo using a growing set of genetically-encoded fluorescent protein sensors. I would like to introduce both fundamental considerations as well as the recent progress that we have made in the dissection of cellular (stress) physiology highlighting ATP dynamics, ROS and redox regulation. I will discuss our efforts towards multiparametric monitoring, as an approach towards an integrated picture of subcellular stress physiology, while appraising technical and biological limitations. The impact of subcellular physiology changes and their control as central determinant of plant performance and stress responses will be discussed”.