Mechanisms of Transport Through Plasmodesmata

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Communication between cells is essential for the proper development of any multi-cellular organism. An important and unique form of cell-to-cell communication in plants occurs by the trafficking of protein and RNA based signals through plasmodesmata, specialized channels that are embedded in the cell wall. Despite its central importance to plant development, physiology and defense, the general mechanism and regulation of trafficking through plasmodesmata is poorly understood. This project will use genetic, genomic and cell biological approaches to understand how a regulatory protein, KNOTTED1 (KN1), is able to traffic between cells to transmit important developmental signals. A novel genetic screen has been developed to discover the genes that are involved in KN1 cell-to-cell trafficking. The Jackson lab has already identified one gene, a chaperonin, using this approach. This discovery is exciting, because it suggests a mechanism by which the KN1 protein is partially unfolded to allow its transport through the plasmodesmal channel. Experiments will be performed to understand the mechanism and developmental significance of the interaction between chaperonins and KN1. It is expected that the project will lead to the discovery of new genes and mechanisms that control PD trafficking, and a better understanding of plant growth and development. Given the fundamental importance of plasmodesmata for the allocation of photosynthetic products during plant growth, and for plant defense against pathogens, knowledge gained from this project will bring potential improvements to US agriculture. This project will also train a number of young scientists at various levels, as well as develop resources for bringing high school students to the forefront of plant biology research.