Energy transport in cells. Physiological functions and structural aspects of nucleotide transport proteins

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Ekkehard Neuhaus
• Subject Area: Plant Physiology ; Plant Biochemistry and Biophysics
• Term: from 2009 to 2016
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 128736536

All life on earth depends upon the availability of cellular energy in form of adenosine triphosphate(ATP). In cells, ATP is transported via two unrelated types of transport proteins,namely so called ADP/ATP carriers (AAC) belonging to the mitochondrial carrier family (MCF),and nucleotide transporters (NTT), residing either in plant plastids or in intracellular humanpathogenic bacteria. On one hand, our knowledge on the molecular structure and biochemistryof mitochondrial AAC proteins is impressive, but our understanding of the cellular function offurther nucleotide transporting MCF proteins is surprisingly poor. On the other hand, we knowmany aspects of the physiological function of NTT proteins in plants and bacteria, but wepossess limited information about the molecular structure of this type of carrier. The work proposedhere will help to uncover the function of many uncharacterized MCF type nucleotide transportersin plant cells. Moreover, I wish to identify the ATP transporter from the yeast EndoplasmicReticulum and I will elucidate the molecular structure of a first NTT protein. The outcomeof this research will further enlighten how cells transport ATP and derivates across theirmembranes and will provide insights into the structural determinants allowing ATP transport byNTT proteins.

• DFG Programme: Reinhart Koselleck Projects