Arabinogalactan-proteins and programmed cell death
Abstract
Arabinogalactan-proteins (AGPs) are complex glycoproteins localized at the cell surface and in the cell wall of all plants. AGPs have recently been implicated in various biological processes such as pattern formation, cell expansion, salt tolerance, disease response, plant-microbe interactions and programmed cell death (PCD). However, the modes of action by which AGPs fulfil these diverse roles in planta are still elusive. PCD in both plants and animals is controlled by reactive oxygen species (ROS), Ca2+-flux, mitochondrial protein release and proteolytic cascades, but the upstream-controls of these regulators of PCD are largely unknown. The hypothesis supported by my recent observations predicts that AGPs are involved in the control of PCD in a ROS dependent fashion. Furthermore I hypothesize that the genetic link between AGPs and PCD might be controlled by an as yet unknown cell wall integrity control system which is also involved in the control of biotic and abiotic stress resistance and growth, and that AGPs might be an integral component of this important control system. To establish a molecular- physiological link between AGPs and PCD, I propose to study the relationship between AGPs, Ca2+-flux and ROS in roots, and to clone a genetic modifier of AGP-damage-triggered PCD in Arabidopsis thaliana. Because of the general importance of cell wall integrity control for plant cells, the physiological characterization and molecular identification of novel loci involved in AGP-dependent PCD will provide new insights into both the control of cell growth and stress resistance, and will potentially lead to the development of new approaches to plant disease and stress management.
Signaltransduktion Signal transduction Programmed cell death
Publikationen
Mitarbeiter*Innen
Georg Seifert
Priv.-Doz. Dipl.-Ing. Dr.rer.nat. Georg Seifert
georg.seifert@boku.ac.at
Tel: +43 1 47654-94044, 94054
Project Leader
01.03.2007 - 29.02.2012