RUI: Molecular Aspects of Effector Binding to Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxylase from Crassula argentea

Grover博士正在研究植物适应高温低湿环境的关键调节酶。CAM植物，通常被称为肉质植物，仅在夜间通过叶片中的气孔吸收二氧化碳，此时温度较低，并且通过这些叶片开口的水分损失最小化。碳固定和代谢的反应在昼夜的基础上进行调节，PEP羧化酶在其中起着关键作用。在本科生的帮助下，Grover博士将确定某些已知的“调节配体”如何结合并控制这种酶的活性。他将通过化学修饰和标记来探索结合位点的物理性质。这项研究可能会导致光合作用酶的新的调节机制的知识，一个重要的回报。

Dr. Grover is studying a key regulatory enzyme of plants adapted to a high temperature, low moisture environment. The CAM plants, commonly known as succulents, absorb carbon dioxide through stomata in their leaves only at night where temperatures are low and water loss through these leaf openings is minimized. Reactions of carbon fixation and metabolism are regulated on a diurnal basis and the enzyme PEP carboxylase plays a key role here. With the assistance of undergraduate students, Dr. Grover will determine how certain known "regulatory ligands" bind to and control the activity of this enzyme. He will probe the physical nature of the binding sites with chemical modification and labeling. This study will likely lead to knowledge of new regulatory mechanisms for enzymes of photosynthesis, an important payoff.