Abstract
Plant regulated cell death involves controlled signalling cascades that can be genetically or chemically modulated. Environmental stress such as high temperatures and pathogen infection can lead to regulated cell death, and its accurate control is key to minimise tissue damage whilst conferring adaptation. Despite the impact cell death has on crop performance, we have a limited understanding of how plants control cell death propagation upon stress. We hypothesise that cell-cell communication, mediated by molecules acting as ‘death’ or ‘life’ signals, is instrumental for the control of plant cell death spatiotemporal propagation. To identify such molecules and characterise their role, we combine lab-based experiments in Arabidopsis and the diatom model Phaeodactylum tricornutum, in-situ omics and logical modelling. I will present our initial approaches to address the question of how photosynthetic cells control cell death propagation in the context of multicellularity.