Mechanisms of adaptation of plants to abiotic stresses

Our Group has extensive experience in studying carbon metabolism (Ángel Mérida) and different systems of redox regulation in plants (María-Cruz González). Most of these studies have been conducted in the chloroplast, an organelle essential for understanding much of plant metabolism, as well as their responses to different environmental stimuli. Continuing with the study of chloroplastic metabolism, we are currently analyzing how certain environmental stimuli affect the metabolism of this organelle. Specifically, we are studying how light intensity affects an essential process for plant development, such as photosynthesis, and the mechanisms existing in the chloroplast that allow the plant to acclimate to fluctuating light intensity situations. One of these adaptation mechanisms involves the action of the protein APE1 (Acclimation of Photosynthesis to Environment 1). This is a chloroplastic protein located in the thylakoid membranes and is found in all photosynthetic organisms, from cyanobacteria to higher plants, showing a high degree of conservation. Deleting this protein in Arabidopsis thaliana prevents the Maximum Efficiency of Photosystem II (F_v/F_m) from adapting to high light intensity, keeping this parameter value below what is detected in the wild-type plant. Although the APE1 protein was identified over twenty years ago, the molecular mechanisms of action of this protein are still unknown. Our Group is investigating how the elimination of APE1 alters various photosynthetic parameters depending on the light intensity received by the plant, as well as the molecular alterations that occur in the photosynthetic apparatus under those conditions. Similarly, we are interested in identifying the proteins that interact with APE1 to carry out its function. These studies are being conducted in the model plant Arabidopsis. However, as mentioned earlier, APE1 is found in all photosynthetic organisms, so one of our goals is to apply the results obtained in Arabidopsis to other economically important plants.