Understanding how cells partition molecules and functions among organelles is a central goal of cell biology. Peroxisomes are unusual organelles that form not only by growth and division, but also via budding from the endoplasmic reticulum. Proteins facilitating peroxisome biogenesis (peroxins) can function in membrane recruitment, assist in importing proteins into the organelle, or promote organelle division or inheritance. Although outlines of these processes are in place, significant gaps in understanding remain. To fully understand the remarkable process by which these organelles are assembled, it is essential to identify and characterize factors contributing to plant peroxisome biogenesis - both peroxins with known orthologs and those that are undiscovered or unique to plants. The project will elucidate molecular mechanisms of plant peroxisome biogenesis. The first objective examines peroxisome budding from the endoplasmic reticulum by using genetic and cell biological approaches to characterize peroxins implicated in pre-peroxisome formation in other systems. A microscopy-based genome-wide screen for factors necessary for early peroxisome biogenesis will reveal important components regardless of their conservation. The second objective follows the discovery of a new peroxin, the peroxisomal protease LON2, and will characterize the roles of genes altered in suppressors that ameliorate lon2 defects.
BROADER IMPACTS The research will provide undergraduate and graduate students with interdisciplinary training bridging molecular genetics, cell biology, genomics, and biochemistry. To extend research experiences to students at institutions without extensive research capacity, the lab will host visiting faculty and undergraduate researchers from nearby primarily undergraduate institutions, focusing on students from underrepresented groups. To help broaden research awareness and participation beyond her own research group, the PI will organize seminars on local biology research to introduce freshmen to the excitement of modern biological research using publications written at their home institution coupled with lab tours and meetings with the authors and other scientists. Together, these activities will reveal fundamental mechanisms of plant peroxisome biogenesis, which may contribute to crop improvement strategies or biofuel applications, while providing interdisciplinary training and experiences that are indispensable to the emerging generation of scientists.
