Collaborative Research: Modeling the regulatory network of inositol phosphate signaling in plants

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The inositol phosphates are a class of compound that in plants is thought to play a role in sensing (and making available) energy for the plant to grow and develop. The goal of this project is to understand how inositol phosphates are used to sense the energy status of plant cells, and how they signal this status so that the plant can use this information. The knowledge gained from this project is relevant to plant-derived bioenergy (e.g. biofuels); it will lead not just to an improved understanding but also to strategies to manipulate and maximize bioenergy for desired outcomes such as increased agricultural production of food and biofuels. The project will provide unique, interdisciplinary training in plant science, biochemistry and bioengineering for students and postdoctoral fellows. Outreach activities will focus on engaging high school students in authentic scientific inquiry with a variety of plants generated from this project, using an established program called the Partnership in Research and Education using Plants. Project personnel will also engage elementary students through a 4 day experience called Kids Tech University.This project will utilize biochemical, genetic and computational modeling approaches to define the inositol pyrophosphate kinase protein interaction network (which includes the sucrose non-fermenting related kinase 1 in plants and the VIP kinases that generate inositol pyrophosphates) in the plant Arabidopsis thaliana and provide knowledge of its role in sensing and signaling a high or low energy status in the plant.