UV-B perception and signalling in plants
Plant Molecular Biology
Sunlight is of utmost importance to plants, not only as energy source but also as an environmental signal regulating growth and development. An important and increasing part of the incident sunlight encompasses a segment of the ultraviolet-B region (UV-B; 280-315 nm) that is not entirely absorbed by the ozone layer in the stratosphere of the Earth. UV-B radiation is potentially harmful for any organism exposed to it, but is also used as an informational signal for which plants have evolved specific and sensitive UV-B perception systems promoting UV-B acclimation and tolerance. Our understanding of this UV-B sensory pathway is presently limited to a small number of major players, and even less is known on their interplay, regulations and mechanisms of action. The major aim of our laboratory is a better understanding of UV-B perception and signalling in plants that leads to UV-B acclimation and survival.
Recent Publications
- A constitutively monomeric UVR8 photoreceptor confers enhanced UV-B photomorphogenesis
Podolec, Roman; Lau, Kelvin; Wagnon, Timothee B.; Hothorn, Michael; Ulm, Roman
Proceedings Of The National Academy Of Sciences Of The United States Of America DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2017284118 FEB 9 2021 - Cryptochrome-mediated blue-light signalling modulates UVR8 photoreceptor activity and contributes to UV-B tolerance in Arabidopsis
Tissot, Nicolas; Ulm, Roman
Nature Communications, DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-15133-y MAR 12 2020 - UVR8-mediated inhibition of shade avoidance involves HFR1 stabilization in Arabidopsis
Tavridou, Eleni; Schmid-Siegert, Emanuel; Fankhauser, Christian; Ulm, Roman
Plos Genetics 10.1371/journal.pgen.1008797, MAY 2020 - Degradation of the transcription factors PIF4 and PIF5 under UV-B promotes UVR8-mediated inhibition of hypocotyl growth in Arabidopsis
Tavridou, Eleni; Pireyre, Marie; Ulm, Roman
Plant Journal, DOI: 10.1111/tpj.14556, Published: FEB 2020 - Plant photoreceptors and their signaling components compete for COP1 binding via VP peptide motifs
Lau, K; Podolec, R; Chappuis, R; Ulm, R; Hothorn, M
EMBO JOURNAL, 38 (18):10.15252/embj.2019102140 SEP 16 2019 - Arabidopsis RUP2 represses UVR8-mediated flowering in noninductive photoperiods
Arongaus, AB; Chen, S; Pireyre, M; Glockner, N; Galvao, VC; Albert, A; Winkler, JB; Fankhauser, C; Harter, K; Ulm, R
GENES & DEVELOPMENT, 32 (19-20):1332-1343; 10.1101/gad.318592.118 OCT 1 2018 - Photoreceptor-mediated regulation of the COP1-SPA E3 ubiquitin ligase complex
Podolec, Roman and Ulm, Roman
Curr. Opin. Plant Biol. 45: 18-25, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pbi.2018.04.018 MAY 2018 - Coping with 'Dark Sides of the Sun' through Photoreceptor Signaling
Demarsy, Emilie; Goldschmidt-Clermont, Michel; Ulm, Roman
TRENDS IN PLANT SCIENCE, 23 (3):260-271; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tplants.2017.11.007 MAR 2018 - …

Prof. Dr. Roman Ulm
University of Geneva
Department of Botany and Plant Biology
1211 Geneva
Tel: +41 (0)22 379 36 50
Research topics
- UV-B response
- Photomorphogenesis
- MAP kinase phosphatases
- Abiotic stress responses
Interdisciplinary
- Photobiology
- Environmental stress signalling