Arabidopsis 2010: Collaborative Research: Assigning Gene Function in the Arabidopsis One-Carbon Metabolism Network

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The network of one-carbon (C1) reactions provides C1 units for use in biosynthesis. It is crucial to plant metabolism, but many of the network's enzymes are known poorly or not at all. Accordingly, functions will be determined for genes that putatively encode: 10-formyl-THF deformylase, sarcosine oxidase, formamidase, 5-formyl-THF cycloligase, S-formylglutathione hydrolase, glutamate forminotransferase, methionine g-lyase, and organellar forms of 5,10-methylene-THF dehydrogenase. For all these genes "determining function" means finding the biochemical activities and subcellular location of the encoded proteins; for the first five it means in addition isolating Arabidopsis knockout mutants and determining the effects of the mutations on C1 metabolism using NMR, mass spectral, and biochemical procedures. GenBank numbers for the network of C1 genes are at http://www.hos.ufl.edu/meteng/1Cpage1.html. This website will be used to post research results as they become available, as well as a catalog of the full-length cDNAs, antibodies, and other resources generated in the project. This website will be linked to the central 2010 project site when it is established. Results will also be presented at meetings and published. This research will meet 2010 project objectives by assigning biochemical and metabolic functions to most of the unexpected, unexplained, and unexplored genes in plant C1 metabolism. The broader impact will be three-fold. First, on crop improvement. Many efforts to genetically engineer plants for human benefit involve changes to C1 metabolism, making it vital to understand C1 metabolism so as to engineer it successfully. Second, on basic plant biochemistry, because C1 metabolism is perhaps the least well understood area of plant primary metabolism despite its central position in processes such as photorespiration, lignification, and alkaloid synthesis. Third, on biochemistry in general, because the plant C1 metabolic network is special, not merely a minor variation on those in yeast, liver, or bacteria.