RESYDE

Re-engineering symmetry breaking in development and evolution

A consortia of plant scientists from Europe and Australia has been awarded a prestigious €10 million research grant from the ERC, aimed at tackling one of the most complex challenges in biological sciences – understanding how multicellular organisms generate their intricate forms.

The highly competitive ERC Synergy grants are designed to support collaborative research efforts that address complex, ambitious scientific challenges beyond the scope of individual researchers.

Despite substantial advancements in the field, the ability to predictively model and re-engineer developmental processes remains a grand challenge. This research is not only fundamental to our understanding of plant biology, but also critical for advancing regenerative medicine and improving agriculture.

RESYDE will seek to unravel the complex processes of symmetry breaking in plant development using flowers as a model system.

Symmetry breaking is a process where two initially identical cells adopt different cell fates, leading to diverse forms and functions. This fundamental phenomenon is crucial in all multicellular organisms.

This fundamental phenomenon is crucial in all multicellular organisms. For example, how a single fertilised egg develops into a human body or how a set of identical plant cells develop into distinct floral organs.

In plant, symmetry breaking processes are driven by a variety of mechanisms, including gene regulation, hormones and cell-cell communication. All are essential for understanding how plants build their final structures.

RESDYE is a six year collaboration between Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (Germany), University of Sydney (Australia), Sainsbury Laboratory, University of Cambridge (UK) and Umeå University (Sweden).

The collaboration will leverage the expertise from research teams withing each institute to take on this challenge in a multidisciplinary approach. RESYDE lead investigator, Professor Kerstin Kaufmann, from the Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, has already made progress on understanding gene-regulatory networks in the developing flower. Associate Professor Marcus Heisler, University of Sydney, has studied symmetry breaking in the shoot and has developed live imaging and advanced experimental approaches. Professor Henrik Jönsson, Sainsbury Laboratory, University of Cambridge, has established an in silico platform that integrates cellular dynamics with the modelling of a central regulatory network governing floral patterning. Professor Stephan Wenkel, Umeå University, has identified innovative proteome-based tools for synthetic biology. Working together, their aim is to re-engineer by design, a complex developmental system – the flower.

Project partners (left to right):
Prof Kerstin Kaufmann, Prof Stephan Wenkel, Prof Henrik Jönsson, Associate Prof Marcus Heisler

This research vision is only possible by combining genetic, molecular, live imaging, computational and synthetic techniques to better understand evolutionary floral architectural changes at the single cell level.

“By addressing the intricate dynamics of symmetry breaking, this research has the potential to unlock new avenues in plant development and evolutionary biology”, – Professor Kerstin Kaufmann

Using the Arabidopsis thaliana flower as a model, the RESYDE project will integrate diverse methodologies to create a dynamic, virtual flower. This is an essential part of the project.

“By utilising AI methods and computational modelling we will move biology more towards engineering where the computer is used to guide experiments that alter flower structure,” – Professor Henrik Jönsson

“By studying our model plant species, Arabidopsis, we can then use it to understand how the amazing diversity of flower structures we find in nature have evolved. For instance, we will compare the developmental programs governing the Arabidopsis flower to the tomato flower and vice versa to re-engineer evolutionary transitions.” – Associate Professor Marcus Heisler

This innovative approach will employ predictive modelling to explore symmetry breaking across various scales, ultimately enabling the re-engineering of these systems.

“Understanding how individual cells communicate and cooperate is vital in the progression of the development of flowers. We will also use a re-engineering approach to alter floral symmetry breaking processes to better understand evolutionary floral architectural changes,” – Professor Stephan Wenkel

Studying how flowers have developed and evolved their form is essential because it reveals the intricate co-evolutionary relationships between flowers and their pollinators, such as insects and animals. The complex tissues of flower organs must be fertilised and then develop into fruit and grain, so the specifics of flower function are critical for future plant breeding and agriculture.

Working together, their aim is to re-engineer by design, a complex developmental system – the flower.