Uncovering missing enzymatic steps in biosynthesis of the plant biopolymer sporopollenin

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Reproductive success of higher plants depends on protection of the mobile male gametophytes, the pollen, from exposure to biotic and abiotic stresses including pathogens, dehydration, UV light, or variable temperatures. Plants protect their pollen by encasing them in a tough external barrier called the pollen wall which is mainly composed of the complex biopolymer sporopollenin. Sporopollenin is highly inert and degradation-resistant, remaining the least understood biopolymer in the plants with regards to its structure and composition. Nevertheless, recent research advances in the case of gymnosperm pollen provide a first glimpse into the polymeric structure of sporopollenin even though the corresponding biosynthetic pathway is not entirely understood. The goal of this project is to fill the gaps in current knowledge of sporopollenin biosynthesis by characterizing a series of candidate genes in the angiosperm Arabidopsis thaliana, the plant model species, and investigating their contribution by analysis of the corresponding knockout lines. Five candidate genes encoding enzymes with different potential significance in sporopollenin biosynthesis were carefully selected by co-expression and transcriptome data. Their proposed role to fill in the missing steps of the sporopollenin biosynthesis pathway will be evaluated using the combination of biochemical-, molecular-, cell- and developmental approaches. This project will combine the host’s institutions expertise in plant biochemistry with the applicant’s expertise in molecular biology, cell biology and genetics providing the multidisciplinary approach to solve the remaining questions in the sporopollenin biosynthesis.