This is an open special workshop fully funded by the New Phytologist Foundation, to include registration costs and accommodation.
Rationale and scope:
Light perception and signalling has a long history of excellent research in plants – from the classical physiology and biochemistry of photoreceptors in diverse species to the detailed definition of the signalling pathways in Arabidopsis thaliana. Light plays a key role in regulating plant growth, development and physiology. The molecular detail of many aspects of light signalling has been genetically dissected model organisms like Arabidopsis thaliana.
Recently, the development of model organisms in key nodes in the Archaeplastida phylogeny and the availability of genome sequences from diverse species among the Archaeplastida means that there is considerable potential to leverage diversity to increase our understanding of the diversity and evolution of light signalling mechanisms. Consequently, we are are now in a position to investigate the diversity and evolution of mechanisms of light signalling. Furthermore, the development of single cell technologies enables increased resolution of light signalling and developmental processes as they take place in living plants. The field of light signalling and development, as well as light-regulated development are therefore primed for major breakthroughs in the next five years.
We will use this workshop to review the most recent developments in these related fields. We will also use the opportunity for the community to highlight future priority areas of opportunity.
Organising committee:
Sourav Datta, IISER Bhopal, Bhopal, India
Liam Dolan, Gregor Mendel Institute, Vienna, Austria