Colloquium with Stephanie Hutin (Centre national de la recherche scientifique, Grenoble FR)
On 28 October 2025, Stephanie Hutin (Centre national de la recherche scientifique, LPCV, Grenoble FR) will present insights to her current research as part of the SNP2Prot Colloquium Series.
Speaker: Stephanie Hutin (Centre national de la recherche scientifique, LPCV, Grenoble FR)
Title: Liquid Logic of Temperature Sensing: Phase Separation of the Thermosensor ELF3
Date: Tuesday, 28 October 2025
Time: 12:30 pm
Location: Lecture hall (GHS) of Biochemistry, Kurt-Mothes-Straße 3 (Weinberg Campus), 06120 Halle (Saale)
Abstract: Sensitive and finely tuned temperature sensing and response mechanisms are essential for plant growth, development, and reproduction. As global temperatures rise and extreme weather events become more frequent, understanding how plants perceive and respond to heat is increasingly critical for food security. Recent studies, including our own, have revealed an emerging paradigm in cellular regulation: biomolecular condensation—the phase separation of proteins and nucleic acids into dynamic, membraneless compartments that can rapidly respond to environmental cues. Yet, how these condensates form and how their biophysical properties translate into functional outcomes in vivo remain poorly understood.
In this talk, I will present our work on the temperature-responsive condensation of the developmental regulator EARLY FLOWERING 3 (ELF3), a key component of the plant circadian clock and thermoresponsive pathway. We dissect the role of its prion-like domain (PrLD), showing that it forms a monodisperse higher-order oligomer in the dilute phase and undergoes temperature-sensitive phase separation. Polyglutamine (polyQ) tracts within the PrLD fine-tune this temperature response but are not essential for condensation. Upon aging, the condensates transition into a hydrogel-like state with semi-ordered architecture, as revealed through an integrated suite of structural and biophysical techniques, including fluorescence and atomic force microscopy, small-angle scattering, electron microscopy, and X-ray diffraction.
Together, these findings reveal a rich structural and dynamic landscape for the ELF3 PrLD and provide an expanded molecular framework for understanding how plants translate temperature cues into developmental responses through biomolecular condensation.
@ECRs: Meet Stephanie Hutin in an exclusive Meet-the-Speaker session directly after her talk in seminar room 200 (Kurt-Mothes-Straße 3). Take the opportunity to talk with her about topics of interest in a pleasant atmosphere enjoying free PIZZA!!
If you like to meet with the speaker, please contact the host, Marcel Quint.
See all upcoming SNP2Prot colloquia listed here: https://snp2prot.uni-halle.de/events/category/colloquium/
The SNP2Prot Colloquium Series is integrated to the
- Halle Plant Science Colloquium (HPSC) – https://www.landw.uni-halle.de/prof/pflanzenernaehrung/hpsc/
- IPB Seminar Series – https://www.ipb-halle.de/forschung/symposien-und-kolloquien/vortraege/ipb-seminare