Molecular and functional profiling of vesicle trafficking pathways in Arabidopsis thaliana

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Klaus Palme
• Subject Area: Plant Physiology
• Term: from 2003 to 2007
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 5402544

The secretory pathway of plants controls homeostasis of cellular membrane compartments, and transports macromolecules between intracellular compartments and the extracellular space. Despite conservation of the basic secretory machinery between plants and other eukaryotes, recent findings suggest distinct structural and functional differences in plants. To systematically study key players of plant secretion, which control formation of transport vesicles, vesicle delivery to target membranes, and intracellular trafficking by internal and external cues, we propose a combined functional genomics and proteomics approach. Focus will be on the Rab and ARF small G protein families and their cellular partners from Arabidopsis thaliana. Such an approach will uncover important aspects of the organisational blue print of the plant secretory pathway, its fundamental functional differences to other eukaryotes, and, finally, its contribution to form and function of plants.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants