Descrizione del progetto
Comprendere i meccanismi molecolari nella crescita vegetale
Le piante svolgono un ruolo fondamentale nella vita: il loro sviluppo e la loro crescita dipendono dall’apporto di zucchero nelle zone di crescita (il meristema) e dai trasportatori di zucchero (SUC e STP) che facilitano il trasporto tra membrane di questa sostanza. La polarità di crescita è generata da un gradiente asimmetrico di auxina mediato da trasportatori di auxina denominati PIN. La comprensione dei determinanti molecolari della loro funzione consentirebbe la previsione e una possibile modifica delle risposte delle piante a un ambiente mutevole. Tuttavia, i meccanismi molecolari del trasporto da parte di SUC, STP e PIM rimangono sconosciuti. Il progetto MUM-GROW, finanziato dall’UE, spiegherà il meccanismo molecolare del trasporto transmembrana di zucchero e auxina nelle piante, concentrandosi su studi molecolari in vitro e conducendo esperimenti strutturali e biochimici.
Obiettivo
Life on Earth is sustained by plants. Growth and development in the plant kingdom is mediated by the controlled distribution of sugars and the hormone auxin, but we still know surprisingly little about the molecular details of this essential part of fundamental plant metabolism. MUM-GROW will elucidate the molecular mechanism of sugar and auxin transmembrane transport in plants. It moves the frontiers of the field by shifting the focus to molecular studies in vitro allowing structural and biochemical experiments to be performed.
Correct plant growth and development is completely dependent on sugar uptake in growth zones (the meristem), and made possible in all plants by sugar transporters called SUCs and STPs. Growth polarity is created by an asymmetrical gradient of auxin mediated by auxin transporters called PINs. Despite extensive research, the molecular mechanisms of SUC, STP and PIN transport remains unknown. If we knew the molecular determinants of their function, it would allow us to predict, augment and possibly modify plant responses to a changing environment.
I will address this using a complementary set of methods founded in structural biology to determine the 3-dimensional structures of key players in these transmembrane transport systems. This will be combined with biochemical characterization to address important mechanistic questions and elucidate their molecular mechanism.
Understanding the mechanisms that govern plasticity in growth is essential for determining resilience of whole ecosystems. This proposal will lead to a breakthrough in our understanding of sugar and auxin homeostasis, a fundamental part of basic plant metabolism. It has tremendous potential for the societal challenge to secure sufficient food for our global population in a sustainable balance between environmental impact and resource exploitation. Furthermore, this proposal will uncover general molecular principles of transmembrane uptake and export pertaining to all organisms.
Campo scientifico
Programma(i)
Argomento(i)
Meccanismo di finanziamento
ERC-COG - Consolidator GrantIstituzione ospitante
8000 Aarhus C
Danimarca