Seminarios IHSM La Mayora - Mar Castellano (CBGP,UPM/INIA-CSIC)

Plants are sessile organisms that are forced to cope with the environmental conditions they are exposed to. To adapt to them, plants have evolved highly sophisticated mechanisms that operate at different molecular levels. These mechanisms assure, among other things, the proper expression, accumulation and functionality of essential proteins involved the adaptation. To achieve this goal, plants finely regulate translation and protein folding in response to adverse conditions. However, the mechanisms that block translation and allow the selective translation and folding of specific mRNAs and proteins under stress in plants, as well as the identity of the mRNAs/proteins subject to these mechanisms, are mostly unknown. In our lab, we have identified plant-specific translation regulators that coordinate translation in response to environmental cues. Moreover, we have characterized the role of the family of co-chaperones HOP (HSP90-HSP70 organizing proteins). Interestingly, we found that, through the folding of relevant proteins, HOPs play a major role in hormonal signaling and stress responses in plants. During this seminar, we will unveil the relevance of translation and protein folding regulation in plant development and response to stress.