Regulation and Function of Membrane Lipid Hydrolysis in Lipid-Based Signaling of Plants

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Regulation and Function of Membrane Lipid Hydrolysis in Lipid-Mediated Signaling in PlantsGrant proposal number: IOS-0818740PI: Xuemin WangPROJECT SUMMARY Cell membranes are rich sources for producing bioactive compounds that affect plant growth, development, and stress responses. This project investigates the molecular mechanism by which one class membrane lipid-hydrolyzing enzyme phospholipase D (PLD) and its product phosphatidic acid (PA) mediate plant survival, growth, and biomass accumulation. The central hypothesis is that specific PLDs and PAs mediate plant growth by interacting with proteins in carbon metabolism and translation regulation. This project will characterize the interaction of PLD/PA with one group of enzymes in carbon metabolism and another in translation regulation. The PA/PLD-effector interactions will be characterized using different approaches, including quantitative biophysical analysis and open-ended profiling of proteins and lipids in the regulatory complexes. The intellectual merits of the research are to discover direct connections of membrane-based signaling with energy metabolism and growth control and to identify novel regulatory processes in plants with potential to improve plant production. The proposed activity will have broader impacts on science, education, and society. The proposed work has the potential to transform current knowledge on the molecular and biochemical mechanism by which cells integrate stress and growth cues for optimizing plant production. It will provide opportunities to train students and researchers in emerging, under-explored disciplines in plant biology. It will serve as a platform to broaden participation of underrepresented groups in research. The information will be disseminated to enhance science and education through lectures and seminars, classroom teaching, scientific meetings, and publications. The knowledge gained may be applicable to developing crop plants with enhanced stress tolerance and productivity.