Using a new plant model to unravel how seeds adapt to harsh weather conditions
Zsuzsanna Mérai, postdoctoral researcher at the lab of Liam Dolan, recently published a study in Current Biology describing how the seeds of a Cyprus variant of the plant Aethionema arabicum have adapted to avoid sprouting during the harsh summer months.
We sat down with Zsuzsanna to learn more about her career, the process involved in this discovery, and more.
I first joined the GMI in 2012, so I’ve been here already for twelve years, including two years of maternity break. I initially joined the Tamaru lab as a postdoctoral researcher, but two years later, I transitioned to the lab of Ortrun Mittelsten Scheid, where I did most of my research. However, Ortrun’s retirement in 2023 led to my joining the lab of Liam Dolan, where I finalized my ongoing projects. I am one of the few people who have worked in three different research groups at the GMI, and I’ve had a great time in each.
One of the challenges of being a biologist is transitioning between labs and locations from time to time. I am very grateful for the support I received to finish my project within the GMI. Not only did Liam and his lab welcome me with open arms, but their input and advice were key to taking this project to port. And, of course, while Ortrun is retired, she’s at the institute quite often, and her advice has stayed invaluable.
In the past decades, most plant research focused on the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. However, I believe that studying other plants, particularly those that live in extreme habitats, can give us new perspectives to understand their adaptive strategies. We initially became interested in Aethionema arabicum because of its fascinating heterocarpic phenotype— the presence of different fruit types on one single plant. Heterocarpy is a bet-hedging strategy used by Aethionema to double the survival chances of the next generation, which we studied extensively.
However, as we started working with this plant, we discovered that the seeds of Aethionema have some other unique characteristics, like their ability to adjust their sprouting timing to avoid the harsh summer conditions in their native environment. I decided to follow my curiosity and study this fascinating plant and the mechanism behind this adaptation.
Indeed, and that is one of the things that makes this plant so interesting. Aethionema initially originated from the Irano-Turanian region, but some variants are present in other regions and countries. Several years ago, we discovered that an accession — that is, a variant — found in Cyprus exhibits this sprouting adjustment while others do not, although their habitat is similar. We have been studying this fascinating adaptation ever since, and were able to dissect the environmental cues and molecular pathways involved in the establishment of secondary dormancy. However, why and how these mechanisms evolved in the Cyprus accession is still a question without an answer.
Of course, it was initially difficult to transition from better-studied and well-known models to Aethionema, since so much about this plant was unknown: from its growth conditions to its basic needs, but even its taxonomy was unclear. What’s more, genetic information about this species was rather scattered. However, a lot of the skills and knowledge that I had developed working with other plant models were easily transferable, albeit with a bit of adaptation. The project started as an ERA-Caps project with collaborators around Europe, and thanks to the complementary expertise, we established Aethionema arabicum as a novel plant model.
Overall, working with a new model and discovering mechanisms nobody had even looked at before was very exciting. After eight years of working with Aethionema, it has become my favorite plant model.