SFB 429:  Molecular Physiology, Energetics, and Regulation of Primary Metabolism in Plants

• Subject Area: Biology
• Term: from 1999 to 2010
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 5483172

The principal goals of research within the collaborative research centre are directed toward an increased understanding of the functions of known and unknown proteins in primary plant metabolism. A deeper understanding of the integration and regulation of metabolic pathways at a genetic and epigenetic level and at the level of plant ontogeny is sought. Conceptually, the centre has been divided into three main sections. Projects in Section A are focused on the investigation of energy transforming processes in photosynthesis using complementary methodologies and with particular emphasis on the regulatory aspects of energy transformation. In Section B the close relationship between metabolic processes and control of gene expression will be investigated in systems of differing complexity. In these projects, the double function of many metabolites will be addressed that act as substrates or products in metabolism and as components in signal transaction pathways. Section C contains projects that concentrate on the mechanisms of transport and storage of photoassimilates with particular emphasis given to source-sink relationships. In general Arabidopsis, either as wild type or with mutations in specific metabolic pathways, will serve as the model organism; although, specific problems will be addressed using other higher plants, mosses, algae and cyanobacteria.

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres

Completed projects

• A01 - Mechanism and regulation of excitation energy transfer in oxygen evolving photosynthetic organisms (Project Heads Eckert, Hann-Jörg ;  Eichler, Hans J. ;  Renger, Gernot )
• A02 - Light-harvesting and excitation energy dissipation in native and specifically altered photosynthetic antenna systems (Project Head Lokstein, Heiko )
• A3 - Regulation, Adaptation und effizienz des Photosystems II Höherer Pflanzen (Project Heads Irrgang, Klaus-Dieter ;  Renger, Gernot )
• A4 - Molekularbiologie der Photosynthese und Photosynthese-abhängiger Prozesse in Prochlorococcus marinus (Project Head Hess, Wolfgang R. )
• A05 - Regulation of organellar gene expression (Project Heads Börner, Thomas ;  Weihe, Andreas )
• A6 - Analyse respiratorischer Prozesse in transgenen Pflanzen (Project Head Müller-Röber, Bernd )
• A07 - Regulation of photosynthesis at the level of chloroplast transcription (Project Heads Börner, Thomas ;  Liere, Karsten )
• A08 - Structure und function of conserved chloroplast open reading frames from Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 (Project Heads Grimm, Bernhard ;  Wilde, Annegret )
• A09 - Theory of photoprotection and process of light-harvesting in the LHCII of plants and of transfer of excitation energy and charge in chlorophyll d-containing cyanobacteria (Project Heads Knorr, Andreas ;  Renger, Thomas )
• A11 - Regulation of respiration in plants (Project Heads van Dongen, Joost T. ;  Fernie, Ph.D., Alisdair )
• A12 - Role of the high potential chain in acclimation of photosynthetic electron transport to the metabolic ATP and NADPH demands (Project Heads Bock, Ralph ;  Schöttler, Mark Aurel )
• A14 - Analysis of ribonucleoproteins in the light-dependent regulation of gene expression in chloroplasts (Project Head Schmitz-Linneweber, Christian )
• B1 - Aufnahme und Metabolismus von Deoxyzuckern bei der Rotalge Galdieria sulphuraria (Project Head Gross, Wolfgang )
• B02 - Structure and function of cytosolic glycans in higher plants (Project Heads Fettke, Joerg ;  Steup, Martin )
• B3 - Expression von Genen des Zuckerphosphat-Stoffwechsels in pflanzlichen Zellen (Project Head Schnarrenberger, Claus )
• B4 - Molekularphysiologische Untersuchungen von Phospholipiden in der Pflanze Arabidopsis und in dem Moos Physcomitrella (Project Heads Dörmann, Peter ;  Hartmann, Elmar )
• B05 - Bedeutung der Stomatadichte für die photosynthetische Leistungsfähigkeit von Pflanzen (Project Head Altmann, Thomas )
• B06 - Biosynthese und Funktion des Thylakoidlipids Digalactosyldiacylglyverol (DGDG) (Project Head Dörmann, Peter )
• B07 - Regulation von Stärkesynthese und Stärkeabbau (Project Heads Geigenberger, Peter ;  Ritte, Gerhard )
• B08 - Bedeutung der Inositolpolyphosphat-Kinase im Primärstoffwechsel der Pflanze (Project Head Müller-Röber, Bernd )
• B09 - Regulation of the rate-limiting step in the formation of 5-aminolevulinic acid for the biosynthesis of tetrapyrroles and chloroplast function (Project Head Grimm, Bernhard )
• B11 - Interactions and regulation of sucrose transporter proteins from Solanum tuberosum (Project Heads Friedrich, Thomas ;  Kühn, Christina )
• B12 - Function of cytokinins in the regulation of primary metabolism (Project Heads Schmülling, Thomas ;  Werner, Tomás )
• B14 - Identification of regulator genes of the primary metabolism by QTL-cloning (Project Heads Altmann, Thomas ;  Willmitzer, Lothar )
• B16 - Initiation and regulation of senescence of Arabidopsis leaves (Project Head Kunze, Reinhard )
• B17 - Regulation of starch synthesis by the carbon status: role of the signal metabolite trehalose (Project Heads Lunn, John ;  Stitt, Mark )
• C1 - Reportermoleküle auf der Basis von Glucosederivaten und Saccharoseanaloga zur Analyse des Phloemtransports und der Phloementladung (Project Heads Buckhout, Ph.D., Thomas J. ;  Ehwald, Rudolf )
• C2 - Beeinflussung der Photosyntheseleistung durch Veränderung des Geleitzellstoffwechsels und Etablierung intermediärer Kohlenhydratspeicher (Project Heads Heyer, Arnd Göran ;  Willmitzer, Lothar )
• C3 - Molekulare Analyse der Regulation der Synthese und Degradation der Stärke mit Hilfe transgener Pflanzen (Project Head Kossmann, Jens )
• C4 - Untersuchungen zur molekularen und biochemischen Regulation der Methioninsynthese in Pflanzen (Project Heads Hesse, Holger ;  Schieder, Otto )
• C7 - Identifikation und Analyse von Proteinen im Phloem höherer Pflanzen und ihre Bedeutung für Phloemstoffwechsel und Signalleitung (Project Heads Geigenberger, Peter ;  Kehr, Julia )
• D - Multiparallele Transkriptionsanalyse bei Arabidopsis thaliana und anderen Pflanzenarten (Project Heads Altmann, Thomas ;  Kloska, Sebastian )
• Z - Zentrale Verwaltung (Project Head Börner, Thomas )

• Applicant Institution: Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
• Participating University: Freie Universität Berlin; Technische Universität Berlin; Universität Potsdam
• Participating Institution: Max-Planck-Institut für molekulare Pflanzenphysiologie (MPI-MP)
• Spokesperson: Professor Dr. Thomas Börner