Dissection Of Polysaccharide Deposition And Assembly Into Plant Cell Walls

University Of California-Davis, Davis CA

Investigators

Abstract

The overarching long-term goal of this multidisciplinary project is to investigate how plant cells deliver different polysaccharides, enzymes and structural proteins into their developing cell walls. Plant cell walls are dynamic structures that play a pivotal role in growth and development, the maintenance of cell integrity and protection against pathogens. They are composed primarily of structural carbohydrates that can be broken down into sugars, providing energy directly as food/feed, or indirectly as biofuels. Thus, an improved understanding of how cell walls are assembled can lead to an increased food supply and renewable sources of fuels. Although the structure and synthesis of plant cell walls is generally understood, remarkably little is known about the transport mechanisms of polysaccharides and the cell wall biosynthesis machinery. This transport is mediated through a complex network of subcellular compartments called the endomembrane system. This project aims at identifying endomembrane trafficking pathways regulating the transport and deposition of cell wall components. The project uses cell permeable small molecules that inhibit cell wall deposition. With the aid of these compounds, the targeted endomembrane pathways will be characterized and new components involved in these pathways will be identified. Multidisciplinary approaches including genetics, cell biology and biochemistry will add to our understanding of the processes that regulate wall deposition. A number of student-scientists, including undergraduate students from underrepresented and financially disadvantaged ethnic groups will receive multidisciplinary research training in the project, thus enhancing the ethnic and cultural diversity of the scientific community. Selected chemical probes from the project will be used as live imaging teaching tools in an undergraduate laboratory course. Hands-on laboratory experience for regional life sciences educators will be provided, transferring excitement and state of the art knowledge across the educational system. Data generated through this project will be available through Chemmine (http://bioweb.ucr.edu/ChemMineV2/) and MASCP Gator (http://gator.masc-proteomics.org/); materials such as seed stocks and constructs will be available through the Arabidopsis Biological Resource Center (http://abrc.osu.edu/).