Studies on diversification of membrane trafficking pathways in plants

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 24370019
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Partial Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Plant molecular biology/Plant physiology
• Research Institution: The University of Tokyo
• Principal Investigator: UEDA TAKASHI 東京大学, 理学(系)研究科(研究院), 准教授 (10311333)
• Project Period (FY): 2012-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: 膜交通 / 進化 / RAB GTPase / SNARE

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We analyzed the function of a plant-unique RAB5 GTPsae, ARA6, and found that ARA6 negatively regulated the vacuolar trafficking pathway counteracting conventional RAB5 GTPases. We also revealed that this counteracting function was fulfilled through the function of an effector protein of ARA6, PUF2. We also tried to reconstruct molecular evolution of a plant-specific membrane fusion machinery, VAMP727, and found that functional conversion of VAMP727 from the ancestral function of VAMP72 members was mediated by two-step events: acquisition of an insertion sequence in the N-terminal longin domain followed by acidification of the inserted region.
Furthermore, we systematically analyzed RAB GTPases and SNARE molecules in the liverwort, Marchantia polymorpha, to collect information on the membrane trafficking system in the basal land plant.

Free Research Field

植物分子細胞生物学