Final Report Summary - TRAFFIC CONTROL (Genetic regulation of protein trafficking pathways: the transport of storage proteins in Arabidopsis)
Intention of the project
To provide the germinating plant embryo with energy, plants store nutrient rich compounds in their seeds. In the model plant Arabidopsis, these stored compounds are mainly reserve proteins which are produced in large quantities during seed maturation and are stored in specialized intracellular compartments, the seed storage vacuoles. Although this phenomenon is per se well described, the actual trafficking pathways which bring these proteins to the vacuoles are not well understood. What is more, the tight genetic regulation of storage protein production and the respective trafficking suggest that there exists a common, genetically defined developmental program which links protein production with protein trafficking.
The major goal of this proposal was to determine the regulatory mechanisms that plants utilize to modulate the capacity and activity of the transport pathway to storage vacuoles. On the one hand, trafficking of storage proteins to the vacuole in Arabidopsis is an excellent model system to study the problem of transport regulation in eukaryotes. On the other hand, the identification of the master regulators of storage trafficking can provide tools to alter storage capacity in vegetative tissues, which would be important for crop improvement and for utilizing plants as biofactories.
Overview of results
To provide the germinating plant embryo with energy, plants store nutrient rich compounds in their seeds. In the model plant Arabidopsis, these stored compounds are mainly reserve proteins which are produced in large quantities during seed maturation and are stored in specialized intracellular compartments, the seed storage vacuoles. Although this phenomenon is per se well described, the actual trafficking pathways which bring these proteins to the vacuoles are not well understood. What is more, the tight genetic regulation of storage protein production and the respective trafficking suggest that there exists a common, genetically defined developmental program which links protein production with protein trafficking.
The major goal of this proposal was to determine the regulatory mechanisms that plants utilize to modulate the capacity and activity of the transport pathway to storage vacuoles. On the one hand, trafficking of storage proteins to the vacuole in Arabidopsis is an excellent model system to study the problem of transport regulation in eukaryotes. On the other hand, the identification of the master regulators of storage trafficking can provide tools to alter storage capacity in vegetative tissues, which would be important for crop improvement and for utilizing plants as biofactories.
Overview of results