Cell Wall Associated, Receptor Protein Kinases

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MCB9728045 Lay Abstract The interactions between the extracellular and intracellular compartments of cells play important roles in controlling growth and development. These interactions are essential for such basic cell functions as establishment of cell polarity and regulation of cell division, cell differentiation, cell migration and cell death. The extracellular compartment contains molecular components arranged in a complex architecture termed the extracellular matrix (ECM). It is well established that in animal cells a basic way in which the ECM can regulate cell processes is through its interaction with cell surface proteins (receptors) that bind to specific adhesive components of the ECM. By contrast, in plant cells, despite their overwhelming importance on earth, little is known about the communication between the ECM (the plant cell wall) and the cell interior. This proposal concerns a family of four cell surface receptors called Waks (short for wall-associated kinases), discovered in the cells of the flowering plant, Arabidopsis, which appear to be adhesion proteins that transmit signals between the extracellular and intracellular compartments. Using genetics, molecular biology, biochemistry, and microscopy, we will determine the tissue location of these receptors and the molecular mechanism by which they mediate communication between the inside and outside of the plant cell. We propose that the Waks generate a signal inside the cell by their ability to interact with and to modify (phosphorylate) specific target proteins which then initiate a cascade of molecular events within the cytoplasm. This proposal describes experiments to dissect these interactions and events. The analysis is likely to elucidate general principles of how eukaryotic cells interact with their immediate environment and perceive changes in the architecture of their ECM.