Structural and functional analysis of signalling complexes formed by the ethylene receptor ETR1 in response to signal perception

植物激素乙烯影响植物生长和发育的许多过程，并且被称为启动果实成熟的激素。反向遗传学已经鉴定了一个类似于细菌双组分组氨酸激酶的膜内在蛋白家族（ETR 1、ERS 1、ETR 2、ERS 2、E1 N4）作为气体激素的受体，以及乙烯信号级联的几个下游组分。这些数据表明，受体具有不同的操作模式的植物激素的信号转导和相互作用的可溶性丝氨酸-苏氨酸激酶CTR 1，但也与含组氨酸的转移蛋白AHP 1。为了在更定量的水平上理解与替代信号传导伙伴的这种相互作用，并更精确地识别在信号传导级联开始时发生的过程，我们的项目决定通过使用荧光光谱的生物化学和生物物理方法来解析ETR 1-AHP 1和ETR 1-CTR 1-复合物的复合物形成和稳定性以及高分辨率分子结构，蛋白质结晶和X射线衍射研究。

The plant hormone ethylene influences many processes of plant growth and development and is known as the hormone which initiates fruit ripening. Reverse genetics has identified a family of membrane intrinsic proteins (ETR1, ERS1, ETR2, ERS2, E1N4) similar to bacterial two-component histidine kinases as receptors of the gaseous hormone, and also several downstream components of the ethylene signalling cascade. These data suggest that the receptors have different operation modes for the signalling of the plant hormone and interact with the soluble Ser-Thr kinase CTR1, but also with the histidine-containing transfer protein AHP1. In order to understand this interaction with alternative signalling partners on a more quantitative level and to recognize the processes taking place at the beginning of the signalling cascade more precisely our project is determined to resolve complex formation and stability as well as high-resolution molecular structure of the ETR1-AHP1 and the ETR1-CTR1-complex by a biochemical and biophysical approach using fluorescence spectroscopy, protein crystallisation and X-ray diffraction studies.