Molecular Analysis of Proteins Involved in Plant Endocytosis and Cytokinesis

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Intellectual MeritNormal plant growth and development is highly dependent upon clathrin-mediated membrane trafficking for cell division, the uptake and recycling of plasma membrane proteins critical for auxin transport, nutrient uptake and hormone and pathogen signaling. More than a decade of research has led to our current understanding of the complex network of proteins and lipids required for endocytosis in yeast and mammalian cells. By comparison, our knowledge of the mechanism of clathrin-mediated membrane transport in plants is rudimentary. However, recent studies have demonstrated that the plant endocytic machinery and its regulation have evolved to meet the unique requirements necessary for plant morphogenesis and growth. Key to our understanding the similarities and differences between clathrin-mediated membrane transport in plants and other systems will be the comprehensive identification and characterization of the evolutionarily conserved, along with the plant-specific core and accessory machinery involved in the formation and targeting of plant clathrin-coated vesicles and elucidation of the role of these proteins in plant cell division. Proteomic, biochemical, genetic and imaging studies are proposed to identify and directly characterize proteins involved in the formation and targeting of plant clathrin-coated endocytic vesicles. Broader Impact These studies will likely provide new insight into the molecular dynamics of clathrin-dependent trafficking in plants and evolutionarily divergent organisms. In addition, as clathrin-coated vesicle trafficking is involved in a wide range of plant processes, our results should generate fundamental knowledge that will in the long term, aid in the development of improved crops with enhanced biomass yield necessary for sustainable food, feed, and biofuel production. The work will also involve the training of undergraduates, graduate students and post-docs who will learn a variety of important techniques including computational techniques for imaging.