GolgiBiosSys · Identification and characterisation of plant Golgi biosynthetic multiprotein systems

Identification and characterisation of plant Golgi biosynthetic multiprotein systems

The crops of the future will need to provide sufficient food, feed and fuel necessary for the sustainment of the estimated 9 billion people by 2050. Over the coming decades the change in climate will impact all aspects of plant biology, as a result of increased atmospheric CO2, higher temperature and changing precipitation cycles. Knowing that 90% of all living biomass is plant derived, its stability and usability is a sizeable challenge for the future. The growth of the bioeconomy in such climate change scenario requires new knowledge in order to produce more resistant crops and to convert the plant biomass into useful products whilst maintaining ecosystem stability: new knowledge of the molecular biology of plants, especially on systems level. The application of molecular systems biology models on the interplay of mater and energy within the plant metabolism is essential to such knowledge. In particular, experimental investigations on the portion of the proteome involved in biomass production such as cellulose are necessary, both to advance our knowledge and to develop and inform further models of systems behavior. I use Arabidopsis thaliana as a model organism with the main goal of understanding the proteomic organization of the Golgi apparatus. Probably the most significant functional feature of the plant Golgi apparatus is synthesis of extracellular polysaccharides. These polymers account for at least a third of all renewable organic carbon on the planet and are not only major components of many ecosystems, but also components of our food, fuel, building material, paper and fiber, as well as targets in the search for renewable energy. In terms of its biosynthetic aspects, previous studies have identified enzymes involved in the synthesis of diverse polysaccharides, with evidence that these enzymes are organized in protein complexes as molecular machineries. The organization, stoichiometry and composition of these protein complexes impact their properties as well as the efficiency of their function. The overall research objective of this project was the application of state of the art quantitative mass spectrometry technologies for the proteomic measurements of plant Golgi protein complexes in order to understand the details of its biosynthetic machineries. More precisely, the first research objective of the proposal aims at investigating the membrane protein interactions in the plant Golgi. The second objective of the proposal consists of identifying specific interacting partners by affinity purification mass spectrometry for partially characterized Golgi membrane protein complexes, such as the cellulose synthase complex. In addition, the training objective of the project is the acquisition of detailed knowledge on quantitative mass spectrometry tools, such as the SWATH-MS technique and related data analysis tools. I also obtained extensive didactic experience by Master student supervision as well as teaching opportunities within the ETH Bachelor student block courses and the international DIA/SWATH course. I gained ample experience in scientific communication, by involvement in organization of scientific meetings, session and outreach activities.

Текст от CORDIS, на английски · Данни: CORDIS, © Европейски съюз