Impact of natural allelic variation on structure and function of the immune proteases SAP1 and SAP2 (C05)

• Subject Area: Plant Biochemistry and Biophysics ; Biochemistry ; Biophysics ; Plant Genetics and Genomics ; Plant Physiology ; Structural Biology ; Plant Cell and Developmental Biology ; Cell Biology
• Term: since 2024
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 514901783

Plant immune systems, particularly mechanisms directly suppressing pathogen growth, offer sustainable crop protection solutions. Arabidopsis immune proteases SAP1 and SAP2 inhibit Pseudomonas syringae growth. This project explores natural variations in Arabidopsis SAP genes to understand their biochemistry, structure, and function. By expressing proteoforms and analysing bacterial growth suppression, substrate specificity, and structural changes, the study aims to provide insights for engineering proteases, offering potential solutions for crop protection against diverse pathogens.

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres
• Subproject of: SFB 1664: Plant Proteoform Diversity - SNP2Prot
• Applicant Institution: Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg
• Project Heads: Christian Ihling; Dr. Mariana Schuster