Jasmonates are plant-specific signalling molecules, found throughout the plant kingdom, that steer diverse physiological and developmental processes.

Their best-known function is to signal attack by arthropod herbivores or necrotrophic pathogens both locally and systemically, leading to mounted defences, including the activation of secondary metabolism.
Recently, the central module of the JA signalling cascade has been discovered in Arabidopsis thaliana, and found to be conserved across the plant kingdom. Bioactive jasmonates such as jasmonoyl-isoleucine are perceived by the E3 ubiquitin ligase SCF^COI1, which targets the JAZ repressor proteins for degradation. This event causes release of the transcription factor MYC2, thereby activating the first wave of jasmonate induced gene expression. Our work focuses on the interactions of the JAZ proteins with other proteins in this crucial molecular complex. We are interested in discovering novel interactors and revealing how they impinge on this central module and regulate its activity. Knowledge gathered in the model plant Arabidopsis will be used for engineering of the jasmonate signalling pathway in the medicinal plant Catharanthus roseus, in which it controls the terpenoid indole alkaloid pathway.