Prof. Dr. Tina Romeis
Leibniz Institute for Plant Biochemistry (IPB)
Biochemistry of Plant Interactions
Allelic variation in the control of calcium-dependent protein kinase activity and function in plant-environment interactions
Calcium-dependent protein kinases (CDPK, CPK in Arabidopsis) constitute gene families in plants encoding for modular proteins that combine a calcium sensor and a protein kinase effector within one molecule. This unique combination enables CDPKs to function as signaling hubs to induce and control plant responses to environmental stress, such as defense to pathogens or adaptation and tolerance against drought or cold.
Non-synonymous SNP distribution within the Arabidopsis CPKs varies in different gene family members. Project B02 investigates the functional consequences of allelic variation in the different CPK proteoforms. From a biochemical view a SNP is thought to influence calcium-dependent biochemical activation and enzyme activity, lead to altered enzyme localization or modify the accessibility and affinity to CDPK phosphorylation substrates. This impacts signaling processes in the plant abiotic stress response, pathogen resistance and in development.
Of particular interest is the structural analysis of CPKs and their complexes with specific substrates. Due to the flexibility of CPK conformations upon calcium binding, state-of-the-art approaches of structural mass spectrometry, i.e. cross-linking mass spectrometry, will be established for plant research. MS methods will be combined with biochemistry, cell biology, and fluorescence spectrometry to gain knowledge about CPK 3D-structures and CPK protein-protein interaction networks in planta.
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