Overview

Our major research focus is to understand the signaling pathways that modulate the root development in response to environmental stimuli and stresses. Plants have an extraordinary ability to alter their development in response to numerous environmental factors or stress (see schematic in Figure 1). Plant being sessile organism, this phenotypic plasticity allows them to constantly adapt to their local environment and is key to their survival. Roots the hidden half of the plants are greatly versatile structures with key functions that enable the plant to survive in the natural environment. Plant roots are in charge of delivering the nutrients and water that are normally a limiting factor in many soil types, as well as providing anchoring to the ground. Moreover, roots are also in the first line to respond to stresses produced by drought, heat or nutrient limitations. The development of an efficient root system better adapted to different soil conditions is crucial for the plant survival. Understanding of the genetic and molecular factors regulating this developmental process will allow us to design future crops with enhanced productivity and adaptation to constantly changing climate.

How plant root development and growth is influenced and regulated by environmental signals is a major research question of our group. In particular, we focus on the effects of nutrient starvation, high temperature, cold temperature, salinity and drought on root system architecture (RSA) using Arabidopsis plants. We are applying experimental [forward/reverse genetics approach, transcriptomics approach, biochemical techniques, high-throughput phenotyping, Genome-Wide Association Studies (GWAS) and live imaging] and computational approaches to answer this question. As stress signaling pathways are evolutionary conserved, we also aim to translate knowledge gained from Arabidopsis to wheat, tomato as well as less‐characterized crop species such as Pigeon Pea.

Finding genes or regulatory systems that modify root development might have adaptive value and has various implications for biotechnology and agronomy. In particular, the ability to generate plants with different root growth has great potential for adapting plants to specific habitat.

• Best Presentation award in  “Crop Genomics: Present & Future” symposium, ICRISAT, Hyderabad, India (2017).
• Best Presentation award in Salk Institute for Biological Sciences annual retreat (SALK-2017 retreat) San Diego, USA (2017).
• Travel grant to attend Annual meeting of American Society of Plant Biologist (ASPB) Plant Biology-2017, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA (2017).
• Travel grant award to attend Keystone symposia “Plant Sensing, Response and Adaptation to the Environment” at Montana, USA (2009).
• Awarded Monbukagakusho scholarship from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), Government of Japan for PhD study in Japan (2006).

• Nadia Bouain, Santosh B. Satbhai, Arthur Korte, Chorpet Saenchai, Guilhem Desbrosses, Pierre Berthomieu, Wolfgang Busch, Hatem Rouached “Natural allelic variation of the AZI1 gene controls root growth under zinc-limiting condition”PLoS Genet, 2018 14(4): e1007304.
• Smakowska-Luzan E, Mott GA, Parys K, Stegmann M, Howton TC, Layeghifard M, Neuhold J, Lehner A, Kong J, Grünwald K, Weinberger N, Santosh B. Satbhai, Mayer D, Busch W, Madalinski M, Stolt-Bergner P, Provart NJ, Mukhtar MS, Zipfel C, Desveaux D, Guttman DS, Belkhadir Y.“An extracellular network of Arabidopsis leucine-rich repeat receptor kinases.” Nature 2018 Jan 18;553(7688):342-346. doi: 10.1038/nature25184.
• Santosh B. Satbhai, Claudia Setzer, Florentina Freynschlag, Radka Slovak, Envel Kerdaffrecand Wolfgang Busch “Natural allelic variation of FRO2modulates Arabidopsis root growth under iron deficiency” Nature Communications2017, doi:10.1038/ncomms15603.

• The findings of this research were covered in 12 differnt online news media website such as:
• EurekaAlert https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-05/si-hpp052417.php”
• Technology Networks http://ct.moreover.com/?a=30740113392&p=1pl&v=1&x=xQhWsm1vMo70-FVHg3zO1w
• SeedQuest http://ct.moreover.com/?a=30768735367&p=1pl&v=1&x=LR09HkCPPGPsqjG7hiF_rw

Santosh B. Satbhai, Christian Goeschal and Wolfgang Busch “Automated High-ThroughputRoot Phenotyping of Arabidopsis thaliana Under Nutrient Deficiency Conditions” PlantGenomics: Methods and Protocols, Methods in Molecular Biology (Springer),Methods MolBiol. 2017;1610:135-153.

Radka Slovak, Takehiko Ogura, Santosh B. Satbhai, Daniela Ristova and Wolfgang Busch “Genetic control of root growth: from genes to network” Annals of Botany, 2015.

Santosh B. Satbhai, Daniela Ristova and Wolfgang Busch “Underground Tuning:Quantitative Regulation of Root Growth” J Exp Bot66(4):1099-1112, 2015.

Mónica Meijón, Santosh B Satbhai, Takashi Tsuchimatsu, Wolfgang Busch “Genome-wide association study using cellular traits identifies a new regulator of root development in Arabidopsis”Nature Genetics,46, 77–81,2014.

S Aoki, R Okada, Santosh B Satbhai“Transformation and Measurement of Bioluminescence Rhythms in the Moss Physcomitrella patens” Plant Circadian Networks: Methods andProtocols, Methods in Molecular Biology (Springer) 1158, 325-336,2014.

Luise H. Brand, Santosh B Satbhai,Üner Kolukisaoglu and Dierk Wanke “Limits And Prospects Of Methods For The Analysis Of DNA-Protein Interaction. In The Analysis of Regulatory DNA: Current Developments, Knowledge and Applications Uncovering Gene Regulation” eBook-Bentham science, 124-148 (25) 2013.

Santosh B Satbhai, Yamashino T, Mizuno T, Aoki S. “Heterologous expression andfunctional characterization of a PhyscomitrellaPseudo response regulator homolog, PpPRR2, in Arabidopsis” Bioscience, biotechnology, and biochemistry75 (4), 786-789, 2011.

Santosh B Satbhai, Takafumi Yamashino, Ryo Okada, Yuji Nomoto, Takeshi Mizuno, YukiTezuka, Tomonori Itoh, Mitsuru Tomita, Susumu Otsuki, Setsuyuki Aoki “Pseudo-response regulator (PRR) homologues of the moss Physcomitrella patens: insights into the evolution of the PRR family in land plants “ DNA research18 (1), 39-52, 2011.

R Okada, S Kondo, Santosh B Satbhai, N Yamaguchi, M Tsukuda, S Aoki “Functional characterization of CCA1/LHY homolog genes, PpCCA1a and PpCCA1b, in the moss Physcomitrella patens “The Plant Journal60 (3), 551-563,2009.

R Okada, Santosh B Satbhai, S Aoki “Photoperiod-dependent regulation of cell growth by PpCCA1a and PpCCA1b genes encoding single-myb clock proteins in the moss Physcomitrella patens “Genes & genetic systems84 (5), 379-384,2009.

K Ichikawa, A Shimizu, R Okada, Santosh B Satbhai,S Aoki  “The plastid sigma factor SIG5 is involved in the diurnal regulation of the chloroplast gene psbD in the moss Physcomitrella patens “FEBS letters582 (3), 405-409, 2008.