EAGER: Small molecule regulation of plant autophagy and the biochemical characterization of whole intact autophagosomes

University Of California-Davis, Davis CA

Investigators

Abstract

Autophagy, the regulated degradation and recycling of cellular material, is required for many cellular functions including the response to starvation, differentiation and development and senescence and immunity. However, the regulation of this process and the structure of the autophagosome (the organelle in which autophagy occurs) are not well understood in plants. This project will advance our understanding of autophagy in plants (specifically Arabidopsis) by addressing two major unsolved challenges 1) developing high-throughput assays to identify small chemical modulators of autophagy in plants, and 2) developing methods for the biochemical purification and study of plant autophagosomes. Broader Impacts. Training at the intersection of proteomics, biochemistry, cell biology and chemical genomics will be provided to a postdoctoral fellow and to undergraduate students.