Olivier Rodrigues, PhD

From cell signalling to plant adaptation to stress

Research

Background

As sessile organisms, plants deploy numerous and complex strategies to cope with various environmental conditions. Among these, stomatal movements are essential for controlling photosynthesis, water status, and immunity. Sensing endogenous and exogenous cues and regulating stomatal apertures are therefore critical steps in coordinating plant growth, development, and stress adaptation in a fluctuating environment. Stomata play a pivotal role in plant responses to both biotic and abiotic stresses, often through shared molecular mechanisms that appear to be conserved across the plant kingdom. By using stomata as a model, my research aims to understand the molecular mechanisms that control plant adaptation to stress.

Molecular dissection of guard cell signalling pathways

Plant-pathogen interaction and drought stress induce intricated signalling pathways. The regulatory mechanisms of H2O2/Ca2+ production and transport are important fields of research. See Trends Plant Sci. (2017), 27(3): 274–286

Stomatal movements in response to changing environmental conditions are crucial for maintaining plant water status and protecting against pathogens. Abscisic acid (ABA) and Pathogen-Associated Molecular Patterns (PAMPs), such as the flg22 peptide, trigger a cascade of molecular events. These include ion fluxes, the production of second messengers like hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) and calcium (Ca²⁺), as well as the regulation of osmolarity, which are key early events. During my PhD in the laboratory of Dr. Christophe Maurel, using reverse genetics, biochemical, and imaging approaches on Arabidopsis thaliana, I demonstrated the critical function of the plasma membrane-anchored aquaporin PIP2;1 in mediating drought- and pathogen-induced stomatal closure. PIP2;1 plays a dual role, acting in signalling by transporting H₂O₂ and in hydraulics by facilitating water transport. Since my postdoctoral position with Dr. Libo Shan, I have been investigating the specific function of a group of non-selective ion channels, characterizing their role and regulation through Ca²⁺ transport. The coordination of molecular events during cellular responses to stress remains an exciting area of research.

Publications

Rodrigues O., & Shan L. (2022). Stomata in a state of emergency: H2O2 is the target locked. Trends in plant science, 27(3), 274–286. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tplants.2021.10.002

Rodrigues O., Reshetnyak G., Grondin A., Saijo Y., Leonhardt N., Maurel C., & Verdoucq L. (2017). Aquaporins facilitate hydrogen peroxide entry into guard cells to mediate ABA- and pathogen-triggered stomatal closure. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 114(34), 9200–9205. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1704754114

Grondin A., Rodrigues O., Verdoucq L., Merlot S., Leonhardt N., & Maurel C. (2015). Aquaporins Contribute to ABA-Triggered Stomatal Closure through OST1-Mediated Phosphorylation. The Plant cell, 27(7), 1945–1954. https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.15.00421

Stomatal dynamics and plant adaptation to stress

Temporal pattern of stomatal movement during Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC3000 infection of Arabidopsis. See Annu. Rev. Plant Biol. (2024), 75(1), 551–577

Diagram depicting the climate-induced stomatal responses in plant–pathogen interactions and their impact on plant growth, development, and stress adaptation. See Mol. Plant (2024), 17(1), 26–49

Stomatal closure is crucial for reducing water loss in response to dehydration and limiting pathogen entry. However, prolonged stomatal closure reduces photosynthesis and transpiration, while also creating aqueous apoplastic spaces that promote pathogen colonization. In Dr. Libo Shan's laboratory, we demonstrated that following an initial stomatal response to water stress or pathogen infection, the perception of SCREW phytocytokines by the NUT receptor kinase triggers a molecular pathway that inhibits OST1, a key kinase in ABA- and flg22-induced stomatal closure. This mechanism facilitates the removal of apoplastic water, thereby limiting pathogen colonization. The conservation of the SCREW-NUT pathway across the plant kingdom suggests an important role in preventing prolonged stomatal closure after exposure to abiotic and biotic stresses.

Understanding how plants dynamically regulate stomatal movements in a changing climate and the role of stomata in plant stress adaptation remains an exciting area of research.

Melotto M., Fochs B., Jaramillo Z., & Rodrigues O. (2024). Fighting for Survival at the Stomatal Gate. Annual review of plant biology, 75(1), 551–577. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-arplant-070623-091552

Hou S., Rodrigues O., Liu Z., Shan L., & He P. (2024). Small holes, big impact: Stomata in plant pathogen-climate epic trifecta. Molecular plant, 17(1), 26–49. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molp.2023.11.011

Liu Z., Hou S., Rodrigues O., Wang P., Luo D., Munemasa S., Lei J., Liu J., Ortiz-Morea F. A., Wang X., Nomura K., Yin C., Wang H., Zhang W., Zhu-Salzman K., He S. Y., He P., & Shan L. (2022). Phytocytokine signalling reopens stomata in plant immunity and water loss. Nature, 605(7909), 332–339. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-022-04684-3

Maurel C., Verdoucq L., & Rodrigues O. (2016). Aquaporins and plant transpiration. Plant, cell & environment, 39(11), 2580–2587. https://doi.org/10.1111/pce.12814

Deciphering crop plant immunity

Cotton plants silenced with GhRLP20, a receptor-like protein, are more susceptible to Fov infection. See New Phythol. (2021) 230(1), 275–289

Functional enriched subcategories among Differentially Expressed Genes (DEG) up- and downregulated by esca-associated pathogens in Vitis vinifera. See PhytoFrontiers (2024), DOI : 10.1094/PHYTOFR-10-23-0132-R

Stomata of A. thaliana and V. vinifera close in response to mycelium or cell wall fragments (CWF) from Phaeomoniella chlamydospora (Pch). See J. Plant Growth Regul. (2025), DOI : 10.1007/s00344-025-11700-z

Fusarium wilt, caused by Fusarium oxysporum, is a devastating disease affecting many economically important crops, including cotton. In Dr. Libo Shan's laboratory, I contributed to deciphering the mechanisms of plant immunity against F. oxysporum in both Gossypium hirsutum and A. thaliana, and to characterizing the role of guard cells in the perception of cell wall extract (FoCWE) components from this pathogen.

Esca is a complex and poorly understood trunk disease that causes significant economic losses in vineyards. Genetic solutions or biostimulation are the main strategies being explored for vineyard protection. Characterizing the molecular events occurring during the early stages of interaction between grapevine cells and Esca-associated pathogens is a prerequisite for developing effective interventions, but this cannot be directly studied in the grapevine trunk. In Dr. Alban Jacques' laboratory, I am developing a pathosystem model based on guard cells from A. thaliana and Vitis vinifera to investigate the molecular interactions between the plant and the pathogens responsible for wood diseases.

Rakotoniaina N.F., Vander Cruyssen A., Romeo-Oliván A., Chervin C., Jacques A., & Rodrigues O. (2025). Stomatal Movement Examination: A New Model to Reveal Interactions Between Grapevine and Phaeomoniella chlamydospora, an Esca-Associated Pathogen. Journal of Plant Growth Regulation, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00344-025-11700-z

Romeo-Olivan A., Chervin J., Breton C., Puech-Pagès V., Fournier S., Marti G., Rodrigues O., DaydéJ., Dumas B., Jacques A. (2024). Deciphering transcriptomic and metabolomic wood responses to grapevine trunk diseases-associated fungi. PhytoFrontiers, https://doi.org/10.1094/PHYTOFR-10-23-0132-R

Babilonia K., Wang P., Liu Z., Jamieson P., Mormile B., Rodrigues O., Zhang L., Lin W., Danmaigona Clement C., Menezes de Moura S., Alves-Ferreira M., Finlayson S. A., Loring Nichols R., Wheeler T. A., Dever J. K., Shan L., & He P. (2021). A nonproteinaceous Fusarium cell wall extract triggers receptor-like protein-dependent immune responses in Arabidopsis and cotton. The New phytologist, 230(1), 275–289. https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.17146

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