Functional analysis of plant nucleotide metabolism: Purine and pyrimidine Phosphoribosyltransferase and nucleotide kinase gene families

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Nucleotides have essential functions in a multitude of biochemical and developmental processes during the life cycle of a plant. As components of nucleic acids, phytohormones, cofactors, and energy rich precursors for carbohydrate metabolism (e.g. UDP-glucose) nucleotides are involved in essential processes in cellular function and plant growth. In plants, the pyrimidines UTP, UDP, UMP and the various UDP sugars play an essential role in sucrose metabolism and cell wall synthesis. Whereas nearly all enzymes in the pathway for de novo synthesis are encoded by single genes, steps involved in salvage and in energy transfer between the pyrimidine and purine nucleotide system are encoded by multigene families in Arabidopsis. This project focuses on the roles of two families: (a) Analysis of the uracil and purine phosphoribosyltransferase gene families and their contribution to overall plant nucleotide supply. Using state-of-the-art molecular and biochemical technologies we will show whether there are developmental and spatial differences between the contribution of de novo nucleotide synthesis and salvage recycling pathways under different growth conditions. (b) Analysis of the gene families coding for nucleoside mono- and diphosphate kinases which facilitate energy phosphotransfer between purine and pyrimidine nucleotides.