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Hydrosensing Project

Discovering How Plants Sense Water Stress

The Hydrosensing Project Team is on a mission to transform our understandingof how plants sense and respond to water availability. We aim to uncover the mechanisms plants use to perceive water stress, a key factor in their survival and productivity.

HYDROSENSING

a Synergy Project

By combining cutting-edge genomics, structural biology, biophysics and imaging approaches, we strive to revolutionize crop resilience and pave the way for climate-proof agriculture.

Join us as we explore new frontiers in plant science, working towards a future where crops are better equipped to withstand the challenges of a changing climate.

Publications

Journal articles and preprints by the Hydrosensing project

Image: Expression patterns of selected AGP genes. (a, b) Confocal microscopy of root tips (a) and hypocotyls (b) expressing transgenic transcriptional reporters (nuclear localized VENUS protein, green fluorescence) with promoters of the indicated AGP genes in WT (Col-0) background (cells counterstained with propidium iodide, magenta fluorescence). Note the general increase in expression as cells start to expand in roots. Credit: New Phytology
Publications

AGP and EXO-LIKE genes promote brassinosteroid-dependent anisotropic growth

Novikova, D., Rana, S., Li, K., Diaz-Ardila, H.N., Trozzi, N., Alonso Baez, L., Hamann, T., Majda, M. and Hardtke, C.S. (2026), AGP and EXO-LIKE genes promote brassinosteroid-dependent anisotropic growth. New Phytology, 250: 2384-2398. https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.71063
Image: An amino acid sequence-based maximum-likelihood phylogeny of members of the Catharanthus roseus RECEPTOR-LIKE KINASE 1-LIKE (CrRLK1L) family in different species. Credit: The Plant Journal
Publications

The function of the Arabidopsis receptor kinase THESEUS1 in plant cell wall integrity maintenance: from evolutionary origin to future perspectives

Zwartkruis, S.T.W., Vandegehuchte, M.L. and Hamann, T. (2026), The function of the Arabidopsis receptor kinase THESEUS1 in plant cell wall integrity maintenance: from evolutionary origin to future perspectives. The Plant Journal, 125: e70701. https://doi.org/10.1111/tpj.70701
Image: Each panel represents a distinct redundancy scenario, with genotypes annotated as A/B, a/B, A/b, or a/b, where lowercase letters indicate mutated genes. Gray backgrounds highlight the corresponding plant phenotypes for each genotype. In the bottom panel (conditional redundancy), sun and thermometer icons denote specific conditions under which redundancy is revealed. Credit: Trends in Plant Science.
Publications

Navigating genetic redundancy in plant genomes: insights for research and breeding

Berman, A., Zylberberg, I., Mayrose, I., & Shani, E. (2026). Navigating genetic redundancy in plant genomes: insights for research and breeding. Trends in Plant Science.
Image: Gravitropic bending of the rbohc/f mutants and their relative apoplastic pH in the elongation zone. (A) Root gravitropic bending of WT, mca1, cngc14-2, and rbohc/f mutants. Right-expression of bending as linear regression slope after 1 h of bending. Letters denote statistical significance (ANCOVA test of equal slopes p
Publications

Calcium-triggered apoplastic ROS bursts balance gravity and mechanical signals for soil navigation

Kulich, I., Vladimirtsev, D., Randuch, M., Gao, S., Citterico, M., Konrad, K. R., ... & Friml, J. (2026). Calcium-triggered apoplastic ROS bursts balance gravity and mechanical signals for soil navigation. Science, 392(6795), 296-300.

News

Hydrosensing news

News

Thorsten Hamann Elected to Prestigious Norwegian Academy

Hydrosensing is proud to share that Thorsten Hamann, one of our Principal Investigators, has been elected as a member of the Royal Norwegian Society of Sciences and Letters (DKNVS).
News

HYDROSENSING after 18 Months: Growing Knowledge and Growing Impact

While still being at an early stage of our 5-year journey, the HYDROSENSING project is moving forward with strong momentum. Over the past 18 months, we have advanced our scientific understanding of how plants perceive and respond to water, while also contributing to broader discussions about foundational plant science, agriculture,…
News

StrawberryWalls: new research to help plants thrive in a warming arctic

We are very happy to share the good news that the Norwegian Research Council has awarded €2.1 million in funding to a new project led by Professor Thorsten Hamann, expanding on the work initiated through the ERC Synergy Project Hydrosensing.
News

Plant Imaging Expert Group: Discovering how plants sense water stress

On Wednesday June 28th, the Euro-BioImaging's Plant Imaging Expert Group featured our project in a very interesting and engaging session.