Chemical genetics dissection of the adaptation of Arabidopsis to a phosphate deficient medium
Résumé
Mineral starvation is though to reduce plant growth by reducing metabolic activity, however this might be an oversimplified view. Our laboratory results provide evidences for the existence of a low phosphate signalling pathway (a major QTL involved in primary root growth arrest in phosphate starvation condition and root tip contact with low phosphate medium necessity to root growth arrest).In order to dissect this signaling we have started a chemical genetics strategy to find small organic compounds that interfere with the phosphate signaling. We found several drugs acting on this signaling pathway in Arabidopsis thaliana. Some of these drugs seem to inhibit phosphate starvation signal whereas other mimic the low phosphate symptoms (root architecture and low phosphate markers expression etc).