Characterisation of the N-end rule pathway and its substrates as a modulator of the plant immune response

我们先前提供了第一个证据来证明泛素介导的植物靶向蛋白降解的N端规则通路的功能(Gibbs等人2011年；Gibbs等人分子细胞2014年；Abbas等人当代生物学2015年，Vicente等人当代生物学2017年)。该途径调节真核细胞中调节蛋白的稳定性，是生长发育的关键调节因子。该途径依赖于蛋白质的氨基(N)末端(NT-)残基控制蛋白质的降解。我们已经证明，该途径的一个分支，由谷氨酰胺氨基水解酶(NTAQ)控制，控制植物的免疫反应。这是首次在植物中发现该途径的这一分支的功能。该项目将专注于发现NTAQ的蛋白质底物，并了解它们对植物防御反应的贡献。学生将学习拟南芥的分子遗传学，以及对植物病理学的理论和实践方面的理解。分子生物学、蛋白质组学和Western blotting将用于验证突变体、分析遗传应激标记和探索新的蛋白质底物。这项研究将揭示N-末端规则通路的新功能，确定新发现的NTAQ底物与已知植物免疫网络之间的关系。

We previously provided the first evidence for functions for the N-end rule pathway of ubiquitin-mediated targeted proteolysis in plants (Gibbs et al Nature 2011; Gibbs et al Molecular Cell 2014; Abbas et al Current Biology 2015, Vicente et al Current Biology 2017). This pathway regulates the stability of regulatory proteins in eukaryotic cells, and is a key regulator of growth and development. The pathway controls protein degradation dependent on the amino (N)-terminal (Nt-) residue of proteins. We have shown that one branch of this pathway, controlled by a Glutamine Amido-hydrolase (NTAQ), controls the plant immune response. This is the first time that a function for this branch of the pathway has been discovered in plants. This project will focus on discovering protein substrates of NTAQ and understanding their contribution to plant defence responses. The student will learn molecular genetics of Arabidopsis thaliana, as well as developing theoretical and practical understanding of plant pathology. Molecular biology, proteomics and Western blotting will be used to validate mutants, analyse genetic stress markers and probe for new protein substrates. This study will reveal new functions for the N-end rule pathway, determining the relationship between newly discovered NTAQ substrates and the known plant immune network.