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Stock M, Pieters O, De Swaef T, wyffels F. Plant science in the age of simulation intelligence. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2024; 14:1299208. [PMID: 38293629 PMCID: PMC10824965 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1299208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2023] [Accepted: 12/07/2023] [Indexed: 02/01/2024]
Abstract
Historically, plant and crop sciences have been quantitative fields that intensively use measurements and modeling. Traditionally, researchers choose between two dominant modeling approaches: mechanistic plant growth models or data-driven, statistical methodologies. At the intersection of both paradigms, a novel approach referred to as "simulation intelligence", has emerged as a powerful tool for comprehending and controlling complex systems, including plants and crops. This work explores the transformative potential for the plant science community of the nine simulation intelligence motifs, from understanding molecular plant processes to optimizing greenhouse control. Many of these concepts, such as surrogate models and agent-based modeling, have gained prominence in plant and crop sciences. In contrast, some motifs, such as open-ended optimization or program synthesis, still need to be explored further. The motifs of simulation intelligence can potentially revolutionize breeding and precision farming towards more sustainable food production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michiel Stock
- KERMIT and Biobix, Department of Data Analysis and Mathematical Modelling, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Olivier Pieters
- IDLAB-AIRO, Ghent University, imec, Ghent, Belgium
- Plant Sciences Unit, Flanders Research Institute for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Melle, Belgium
| | - Tom De Swaef
- Plant Sciences Unit, Flanders Research Institute for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Melle, Belgium
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Hodgens C, Flaherty DT, Pullen AM, Khan I, English NJ, Gillan L, Rojas-Pierce M, Akpa BS. Model-based inference of a plant-specific dual role for HOPS in regulating guard cell vacuole fusion. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.11.07.565947. [PMID: 37986942 PMCID: PMC10659295 DOI: 10.1101/2023.11.07.565947] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2023]
Abstract
Stomata are the pores on a leaf surface that regulate gas exchange. Each stoma consists of two guard cells whose movements regulate pore opening and thereby control CO2 fixation and water loss. Guard cell movements depend in part on the remodeling of vacuoles, which have been observed to change from a highly fragmented state to a fused morphology during stomata opening. This change in morphology requires a membrane fusion mechanism that responds rapidly to environmental signals, allowing plants to respond to diurnal and stress cues. With guard cell vacuoles being both large and responsive to external signals, stomata represent a unique system in which to delineate mechanisms of membrane fusion. Fusion of vacuole membranes is a highly conserved process in eukaryotes, with key roles played by two multi-subunit complexes: HOPS (homotypic fusion and vacuolar protein sorting) and SNARE (soluble NSF attachment protein receptor). HOPS is a vacuole tethering factor that is thought to chaperone SNAREs from apposing vacuole membranes into a fusion-competent complex capable of rearranging membranes. To resolve a counter-intuitive observation regarding the role of HOPS in regulating plant vacuole morphology, we derived a quantitative model of vacuole fusion dynamics and used it to generate testable predictions about HOPS-SNARE interactions. We derived our model by applying simulation-based inference to integrate prior knowledge about molecular interactions with limited, qualitative observations of emergent vacuole phenotypes. By constraining the model parameters to yield the emergent outcomes observed for stoma opening - as induced by two distinct chemical treatments - we predicted a dual role for HOPS and identified a stalled form of the SNARE complex that differs from phenomena reported in yeast. We predict that HOPS has contradictory actions at different points in the fusion signaling pathway, promoting the formation of SNARE complexes, but limiting their activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles Hodgens
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Tennessee-Knoxville, Knoxville, Tennessee, USA
| | - DT Flaherty
- Department of Molecular Biomedical Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | - Anne-Marie Pullen
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | - Imran Khan
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | - Nolan J English
- Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA
| | - Lydia Gillan
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | - Marcela Rojas-Pierce
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | - Belinda S Akpa
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Tennessee-Knoxville, Knoxville, Tennessee, USA
- Department of Molecular Biomedical Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
- Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA
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Hodgens C, Akpa BS, Long TA. Solving the puzzle of Fe homeostasis by integrating molecular, mathematical, and societal models. CURRENT OPINION IN PLANT BIOLOGY 2021; 64:102149. [PMID: 34839201 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbi.2021.102149] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2021] [Revised: 09/22/2021] [Accepted: 10/27/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
To ensure optimal utilization and bioavailability, iron uptake, transport, subcellular localization, and assimilation are tightly regulated in plants. Herein, we examine recent advances in our understanding of cellular responses to Fe deficiency. We then use intracellular mechanisms of Fe homeostasis to discuss how formalizing cell biology knowledge via a mathematical model can advance discovery even when quantitative data is limited. Using simulation-based inference to identify plausible systems mechanisms that conform to known emergent phenotypes can yield novel, testable hypotheses to guide targeted experiments. However, this approach relies on the accurate encoding of domain-expert knowledge in exploratory mathematical models. We argue that this would be facilitated by fostering more "systems thinking" life scientists and that diversifying your research team may be a practical path to achieve that goal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles Hodgens
- Plant & Microbial Biology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - Belinda S Akpa
- Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA; Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, USA.
| | - Terri A Long
- Plant & Microbial Biology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA.
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