Decoding cell surface receptor interaction networks by system genetics approaches

The vast majority of our current understanding of signaling pathways that originate at the cell surface is based on studies considering receptor systems in isolation and the pathways they control as linear entities. While these approaches provide key information on the quasi-static signaling properties of cell surface receptors, they are unsuitable for system level studies. First, I will present my laboratory efforts aimed at understanding how cell surface receptors in Arabidopsis operate in physical networks to generate adapted signaling responses to various environmental signals. Second, I will show how quantitative system genetics approaches can be leveraged as a tool of choice to map biological function onto receptor interaction networks, thereby providing a mechanistic and molecular understanding of signal specificity in cell surface signaling networks.