9603782 Rundle The work will investigate protein phosphatase 2A isoforms in Arabidopsis thaliana. This family of phosphatases is involved in a number of developmental processes in plants and in the sensing and signal transduction of environmental cues. Not much work has been focused on these proteins in plants - major emphasis has up to now been given to the corresponding protein kinases. The work will utilize conserved regions to amplify the phosphatases, will study the genomic organization of family members, characterize transcripts, examine their cellular localization, and work towards a protein expression and analysis system. These are long-range goals for this young investigator. More short term objectives include the training of undergraduate students and setting up the experimental system. The PP2A family is receiving more attention at the moment in plants because of the pivotal role of the proteins in plant environment interactions, making such work timely and worthy of systematic investigations.
