AUTOPHO - Function of the single Arabidopsis P5-type ATPase in ER stress-mediated autophagy activated by phosphate limitation

• Applicant: Dr. Christin Naumann
• Subject Area: Plant Biochemistry and Biophysics ; Plant Cell and Developmental Biology
• Term: since 2021
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 492493685

Phosphorus, the most important macronutrient for bioenergetics, is actively perceived and absorbed as inorganic phosphate (Pi) by plants via the root system. In Arabidopsis thaliana, the cell wall-localized ferroxidase LPR1 and the ER-resident P5-ATPase PDR2/AtP5A play a central role in these processes. In Pi deficiency, the PDR2-LPR1 module specifically induces ER stress in root tips, which leads to the activation of autophagy. This project focuses on (i) the identification of proteins regulated or induced in Pi-dependent autophagy, (ii) the role of PDR2 in ER stress-activated autophagy, and (iii) the characterization of PDR2 as a membrane sensor at contact sites between the ER and plasma membrane.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants