Plastid protein transport mechanisms and organelle biogenesis

质体蛋白转运机制和细胞器生物发生

• 批准号: 43698-2007
• 负责人: Ko, Kenton
• 金额: $ 2.55万
• 依托单位: Queen's University
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2007
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2007-01-01 至 2008-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=363911
• 关键词: Plastid; protein; transport; mechanisms; organelle

Plants form the pillars of the Earth's life-supporting activities like photosynthesis, starch and oil production, and respiration.  These activities are governed by dynamic cellular processes, requiring interaction of countless molecular participants and take place in specialized spaces inside plant cells.  One such space is the plastid, an organelle designed for capturing and producing energy for plants.  Plastids must also adjust their activities during development and when adapting to the ever-changing environment.  Such adjustments are accompanied by dramatic shifts to the diversity of proteins being transported into plastids.  It is thus important for plastids to maintain a responsive and efficient protein transport process that can address all situations.  Recent findings indicate that the co-chaperone Tic40, a dynamic component of the plastid protein transport machinery, may be involved in the adjusting mechanisms and that Tic40's role(s) may be influenced or modulated by the activities of organellar rhomboid proteases.  This proposal thus outlines projects aimed at elucidating the role of Tic40 and rhomboid proteases in plastid protein transport.  Since rhomboid proteases belong to a group of highly conserved proteins involved in signaling and development, the long-term goals will be to define the Tic40-rhomboid protease link and the meaning of this relationship to plastid protein delivery, organelle biogenesis, cell structure, and development.  For the related short-term goals, we will employ established and modern proteomic approaches to characterize specifically : 1) Tic40's structure, its capabilities and its rhomboid cleavage site(s); 2) The functional features of plant organellar rhomboid proteases such as location, targeting, and enzymatic activities; and 3) The functional relationship between Tic40's importation and plastid rhomboid proteases.  The work will also contribute to the development of techniques and strategies for functional proteomics, whole cell research, and commercial applications.  Equally important, students going through the proposed 5-year NSERC program will receive intensive training in discoveries research applicable to their careers (for at least 3 Ph.D., 6 M.Sc., and 10 B.Sc.).

植物构成了地球上支持生命的活动的支柱，如光合作用、淀粉和油脂生产以及呼吸作用。这些活动由动态的细胞过程控制，需要无数分子参与者的相互作用，并在植物细胞内的专门空间发生。其中一个空间是叶绿体，细胞器为植物获取和产生能量而设计的细胞器。在发育过程中和适应不断变化的环境时，叶绿体也必须调整它们的活动。这种调整伴随着运输到叶绿体中的蛋白质多样性的戏剧性变化。因此，对叶绿体来说，保持一个响应迅速、高效的蛋白质运输过程是很重要的，它可以应对所有情况。最近的发现表明，辅助伴侣Tic40是叶绿体蛋白质运输机制的动态组成部分，可能参与了调节机制，而Tic40的S角色(S)可能受到细胞器菱形蛋白酶活性的影响或调节。因此，本提案概述了旨在阐明Tic40和菱形蛋白酶在质体蛋白运输中的作用的项目。由于菱形蛋白酶属于一组涉及信号和发育的高度保守的蛋白质，因此长期目标将是定义Tic40-菱形蛋白酶的联系以及这种关系对叶绿体蛋白运输、细胞器生物发生、细胞结构和发育的意义。对于相关的短期目标，我们将使用成熟的现代蛋白质组学方法来具体表征：1)Tic40‘S结构、其功能及其菱形切割位点(S)；2)植物细胞器菱形蛋白水解酶的功能特征，如定位、靶向和酶活性；以及3)Tic40‘S进口与叶绿体菱形蛋白水解酶之间的功能关系。此外，这项工作还将有助于功能蛋白质组学、全细胞研究和商业应用的技术和策略的发展。同样重要的是，通过拟议的5年制NSERC项目的学生将接受适用于他们职业生涯的发现研究方面的强化培训(至少3个博士学位、6个硕士学位和10个学士学位)。