EAGER: Small molecule regulation of plant autophagy and the biochemical characterization of whole intact autophagosomes

细胞自噬是细胞物质的可调控降解和再循环，是许多细胞功能所必需的，包括对饥饿的反应、分化和发育、衰老和免疫。然而，这一过程的调控和自噬体（发生自噬的细胞器）的结构在植物中尚不清楚。该项目将通过解决两个主要的未解决的挑战来推进我们对植物（特别是拟南芥）自噬的理解：1)开发高通量测定方法来鉴定植物自噬的小化学调节剂；2)开发植物自噬体的生化纯化和研究方法。更广泛的影响。蛋白质组学、生物化学、细胞生物学和化学基因组学交叉领域的培训将提供给博士后和本科生。

Autophagy, the regulated degradation and recycling of cellular material, is required for many cellular functions including the response to starvation, differentiation and development and senescence and immunity. However, the regulation of this process and the structure of the autophagosome (the organelle in which autophagy occurs) are not well understood in plants. This project will advance our understanding of autophagy in plants (specifically Arabidopsis) by addressing two major unsolved challenges 1) developing high-throughput assays to identify small chemical modulators of autophagy in plants, and 2) developing methods for the biochemical purification and study of plant autophagosomes. Broader Impacts. Training at the intersection of proteomics, biochemistry, cell biology and chemical genomics will be provided to a postdoctoral fellow and to undergraduate students.