Assistant Professor King Abdullah University of Science & Technology Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
Stress Granules (SGs) are liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) biomolecular condensates formed in response to different environmental stresses. SGs are composed of proteins, mRNA and metabolites. The aim of our group is to elucidate molecular mechanism of SGs formation/disassembly but also their involvement in stress signaling and tolerance. Until now we gained evidence that SGs are formed under different abiotic stresses such heat, salt and low oxygen and that their morphology and dynamic is greatly affected by modification of specific protein domains. In addition, we are focused on studying different posttranslational- modifications that are important for SGs dynamics. With the use of phenotypical analysis and multi-omic approach, we can demonstrate that mutants that lack SGs marker proteins are sensitive to abiotic stress. Our discoveries suggests that SGs play very important role in plant stress signaling and tolerance.