Biogenesis of Plant Peroxisomes

了解细胞如何在细胞器之间分配分子和功能是细胞生物学的中心目标。过氧化物体是一种特殊的细胞器，不仅通过生长和分裂形成，而且通过内质网的萌发形成。促进过氧化体生物发生的蛋白质(Peroxins)可以在膜募集中发挥作用，帮助将蛋白质输入细胞器，或促进细胞器的分裂或遗传。虽然对这些进程的概述已经到位，但在理解方面仍然存在重大差距。为了充分了解这些细胞器组装的非凡过程，有必要识别和表征有助于植物过氧化物体生物发生的因素-包括已知的同源物的过氧化物素和那些未被发现的或植物特有的过氧化物素。该项目将阐明植物过氧化物酶体生物发生的分子机制。第一个目标是通过使用遗传学和细胞生物学的方法来研究从内质网萌发的过氧化物体，以确定与其他系统中的过氧物酶前体形成有关的过氧物素。基于显微镜的全基因组筛选早期过氧化物体生物发生所必需的因素将揭示重要的成分，而不考虑它们的保守性。第二个目标是在发现一种新的过氧化物素，即过氧化物酶LON2之后，将描述在抑制物中改变的基因在改善LON2缺陷方面的作用。BROADER IMPACTS这项研究将为本科生和研究生提供连接分子遗传学、细胞生物学、基因组学和生物化学的跨学科培训。为了将研究经验扩展到没有广泛研究能力的机构的学生，该实验室将接待来自附近主要是本科院校的客座教师和本科生研究人员，重点是来自代表性不足群体的学生。为了帮助扩大研究意识和参与，超越她自己的研究小组，PI将组织关于本地生物研究的研讨会，向新生介绍现代生物研究的兴奋，使用他们在自己的机构撰写的出版物，以及与作者和其他科学家的实验室参观和会议。总之，这些活动将揭示植物过氧化酶体生物发生的基本机制，这可能有助于作物改良战略或生物燃料的应用，同时提供对新兴一代科学家不可或缺的跨学科培训和经验。

INTELLECTUAL MERITUnderstanding how cells partition molecules and functions among organelles is a central goal of cell biology. Peroxisomes are unusual organelles that form not only by growth and division, but also via budding from the endoplasmic reticulum. Proteins facilitating peroxisome biogenesis (peroxins) can function in membrane recruitment, assist in importing proteins into the organelle, or promote organelle division or inheritance. Although outlines of these processes are in place, significant gaps in understanding remain. To fully understand the remarkable process by which these organelles are assembled, it is essential to identify and characterize factors contributing to plant peroxisome biogenesis - both peroxins with known orthologs and those that are undiscovered or unique to plants. The project will elucidate molecular mechanisms of plant peroxisome biogenesis. The first objective examines peroxisome budding from the endoplasmic reticulum by using genetic and cell biological approaches to characterize peroxins implicated in pre-peroxisome formation in other systems. A microscopy-based genome-wide screen for factors necessary for early peroxisome biogenesis will reveal important components regardless of their conservation. The second objective follows the discovery of a new peroxin, the peroxisomal protease LON2, and will characterize the roles of genes altered in suppressors that ameliorate lon2 defects.BROADER IMPACTSThe research will provide undergraduate and graduate students with interdisciplinary training bridging molecular genetics, cell biology, genomics, and biochemistry. To extend research experiences to students at institutions without extensive research capacity, the lab will host visiting faculty and undergraduate researchers from nearby primarily undergraduate institutions, focusing on students from underrepresented groups. To help broaden research awareness and participation beyond her own research group, the PI will organize seminars on local biology research to introduce freshmen to the excitement of modern biological research using publications written at their home institution coupled with lab tours and meetings with the authors and other scientists. Together, these activities will reveal fundamental mechanisms of plant peroxisome biogenesis, which may contribute to crop improvement strategies or biofuel applications, while providing interdisciplinary training and experiences that are indispensable to the emerging generation of scientists.