TRAFFIC CONTROL · Genetic regulation of protein trafficking pathways: the transport of storage proteins in Arabidopsis
FP7 — People (Marie Curie Actions)
- Duration
- 2008-12-01 → 2010-08-31
- EU contribution
- €151,369
- Participants
- 1
- Scheme
- MC-IEF
Lines connect the coordinator with its partners.
Results in brief
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
Data: CORDIS, © European Union
Project objective
Trafficking pathways in eukaryotes, their regulatory mechanisms as well as the molecular machinery involved are relatively well understood. However, the underlying genetic regulation has been largely overlooked. The question how cells adapt to various trafficking requirements, and to which extent this regulation is transcriptionally controlled, is of great importance to the field of cell biology and development. In this project, I want to address this question using Arabidopsis seed storage protein trafficking. Late in embryogenesis, large quantities of storage proteins are transported into a novel type of organelle, the storage vacuole. This process is most likely transcriptionally regulated, as it occurs only during this stage of development. Recently, genes involved in this event have been identified in the host laboratory and other groups. I aim to identify the transcriptional regulation of these in order to decipher common cis-regulatory elements, their transcription factors and/or epigenetic regulators. The identified regulators will be first analyzed for functional significance in storage vacuole trafficking. Further analyses will shed light on the fundamental question whether all these responses are developmentally programmed, or whether cells can actually sense their current transport requirements. The proposal is, to my knowledge, the first specifically aimed at the interface between transcriptional control and a cell biological phenomenon. Thus, the proposed project will not only be of interest to plant storage protein trafficking, but also lead to a better understanding of the genetic regulation of plant protein trafficking in general and even other eukaryotic systems, exploring potentially conserved mechanisms. Eventually, identifying the main regulators of storage protein trafficking may also enable altering the storage capacity in vegetative tissues, a trait much sought after in applied plant research to utilize crop plants as biofactories.
Original text from CORDIS.
Participants
- AGENCIA ESTATAL CONSEJO SUPERIOR DE INVESTIGACIONES CIENTIFICAS · MadridCoordinatorSpain
Links
Data: CORDIS, © European Union