Laura Bacete Cano

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Did you know that every second, plants produce 3,000 tons of cellulose, a key component of their cell walls? These walls play a crucial role in plant growth, adaptation to environmental conditions, and ultimately, in sustaining life on our planet. Furthermore, cell walls are essential for food production, clothing (cotton), wood, and even bioenergy. And they are renewable, climate-friendly, and naturally produced, making them crucial in the fight against climate change. In my research group, we want to know more about this fascinating plant structure, especially about the dynamic processes that allow it to adapt to changing conditions.

The cell wall is a complex network of carbohydrates and proteins that plays a crucial role in plant growth and adaptation to environmental conditions. The maintenance of cell wall integrity is essential for regulating the functional integrity of cell walls during development and stress. Plant cell wall integrity monitoring systems constantly survey the status of cell walls and initiate a series of responses when they are altered. Interestingly, plant cell wall integrity seems to be related to adaptation to challenging environments, since some cell wall mutants are more resistant to certain stresses. 

Understanding the mechanisms behind cell wall integrity monitoring and response is a key area of research in our lab. Time and dynamics are the keywords that define our research group’s approach to cell walls. We are interested in understanding how cell wall integrity is regulated over time and how it responds to changes in the environment. By studying these dynamic processes, we aim to uncover the mechanisms that govern plant growth and development and pave the way for innovative solutions that benefit agriculture and the environment. Specifically, we explore the following research interests:

1. Understanding the relationship between cell wall composition and mechanical characteristics: We investigate how the composition of cell walls changes during plant development and interaction with the environment and how these changes affect their mechanical characteristics.
2. Defining the meaning of cell wall integrity: We explore the homeostasis of plant cell walls in the context of plant growth, adaptation, and response to environmental stresses.
3. Understanding how environmental stresses impact cell wall homeostasis: We study how environmental stresses, such as drought and pathogen attacks, affect cell wall homeostasis.
4. Investigating how the plant integrates cell wall information into developmental processes: We explore how the plant integrates information about cell wall composition and mechanical properties into its developmental processes, such as cell cycle progression. 

Our lab employs a range of cutting-edge technologies to achieve our research goals. These include:

• Brillouin and confocal microscopies: We use these imaging techniques to visualize changes in cell wall composition and mechanical properties.
• Biochemical analysis: We use various biochemical analysis techniques, including GC/LC-MS and FTIR, to investigate the chemical composition of cell walls.
• Molecular biology: We use various molecular biology techniques such as cloning, qRT-PCR, and RNAseq to investigate gene expression patterns related to cell wall integrity.
• Cell wall fractionation and glycome profiling: We use these techniques to analyze the polysaccharides and proteins present in plant cell walls.
• Study of signaling cascades: We explore the various signaling pathways involved in cell wall integrity monitoring and responses, especially hormone pathways (jasmonic, salicylic and abscisic acid) and pattern-triggered immunity-related responses (Ca2+ input, MAPK phosphorylation, ectopic lignin deposition, etc.).
• Analysis of traits of agronomical interest: These include resistance to biotic (pathogens) and abiotic (drought, temperature, etc.) stresses, saccharification, biomass production, etc.
• Computational modelling: We use different models (logical, finite-elements, etc.) to integrate our different data into models that enable us to analyse and predict cell wall behaviour.

Our lab is committed to using multidisciplinary approaches and novel methodologies to solve complex problems in plant research. Our research has far-reaching implications, including improving crop yields, creating new bio-based materials, and developing sustainable energy sources.