Date:

A molecular map for the plant sciences

Every cell of any organism contains the complete genetic information, or the “blueprint”, of a living being, encoded in the sequence of the so-called nucleotide building blocks of DNA.

But how does a plant create tissues as diverse as a leaf that converts light into chemical energy and produces oxygen, or a root that absorbs nutrients from the soil?

- Advertisement -

The answer lies in the protein pattern of the cells of the respective tissue. Proteins are the main molecular players in every cell. They are biocatalysts, transmit signals inside and between cells, form the structure of a cell and much more.

“To form the protein pattern, it is not only important which proteins are present in a tissue, but, more importantly, in what quantities,” explains Bernhard Kuster, Professor of Proteomics and Bioanalytics at TUM. For example, proteins of the photosynthesis machinery are found primarily in leaves, but also in seeds, yet at a thousand times lower levels.

Laboratory plants as a model for basic research

The team around Dr. Julia Mergner and Prof. Bernhard Kuster examined the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, or thale cress, using biochemical and analytical high-throughput methods to find out more about the molecular composition.

- Advertisement -

For 40 years, this rather inconspicuous weed with small white flowers has been the “laboratory mouse” of plant biology. It is small, generally undemanding and easy to grow. These properties have paved the way for its frequent us in genetics and molecular biology. The fact that insights from basic research on Arabidopsis can often be transferred to crop plants also makes Arabidopsis interesting for plant breeding research.

Most of the data was generated using a method called liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, which enables the analysis of thousands of proteins in parallel in one experiment and bioinformatics methods helped analyze the huge amounts of data.

Arabidopsis-Atlas for the global scientific community

“For the first time, we have comprehensively mapped the proteome, that is, all proteins from the tissues of the model plant Arabidopsis,” explains Bernhard Kuster. “This allows new insights into the complex biology of plants.”

All results of the research work were summarized in a virtual atlas which provides initial answers to the questions:

  • How many of the approximately 27,000 genes exist in the plant as proteins (> 18,000)?
  • Where are they located within the organism (e.g. flower, leaf or stem)?
  • In what approximate quantities do they occur?

All data is freely available in the online database ProteomicsDB, which already contains a protein catalog for the human proteome, which the same team at TUM decoded in 2014.

Research results as the basis for future analysis of crop plants

One can anticipate that there are similarities between Arabidopsis and the molecular maps of other plants. “The Atlas should, therefore, also inspire research on other plants,” says Kuster.

In the future, the researchers will turn their attention to the analysis of crops. Of particular interest will be to investigate how the proteome changes when plants are attacked by pests or how plants can adapt to climate change.

TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY OF MUNICH (TUM)

Header Image – By mapping more than 18,000 proteins, TUM scientists have created an extensive molecular reference for the popular model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, which is freely accessible via the online database “ProteomicsDB“. Credit : Chair of Proteomics and Bioanalytics

- Advertisement -

Stay Updated: Follow us on iOS, Android, Google News, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Threads, TikTok, LinkedIn, and our newsletter

spot_img
Mark Milligan
Mark Milligan
Mark Milligan is multi-award-winning journalist and the Managing Editor at HeritageDaily. His background is in archaeology and computer science, having written over 8,000 articles across several online publications. Mark is a member of the Association of British Science Writers (ABSW), the World Federation of Science Journalists, and in 2023 was the recipient of the British Citizen Award for Education, the BCA Medal of Honour, and the UK Prime Minister's Points of Light Award.
spot_img
spot_img
spot_img

Mobile Application

spot_img

Related Articles

Pre-war Jewish district uncovered in Lublin

Archaeologists from the Lublin Voivodeship Conservator of Monuments have uncovered traces of Lublin’s pre-war Jewish district during construction works at Zamkowa and Podwale streets.

Ornately decorated sarcophagus unearthed in “City of Gladiators”

Excavations in Stratonikeia, located in the Yatağan district of Muğla in southwestern Türkiye, have unearthed a 2,000-year-old sarcophagus from the Roman Imperial Age.

The mystery of a 1940’s Ford Woody discovered on USS Yorktown shipwreck

During a recent expedition aboard NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer for the Papahānaumokuākea ROV and Mapping project, NOAA Ocean Exploration and its partners discovered a 1940s Ford Woody on the wreck of the USS Yorktown.

Roman phallus found at frontier fortress

Excavations at Vindolanda near Hadrian’s Wall have unearthed a miniature phallus pendant.

Ancient underground chamber discovery in Cnoc Ard

A construction project in Cnoc Ard (Knockaird) on the Isle of Lewis has revealed a stone-built underground chamber, later identified by archaeologists as a Late Iron Age souterrain.

Caral burial unearthed at Áspero: Elite woman found remarkably preserved

Archaeologists from the Caral Archaeological Zone (ZAC), led by Dr. Ruth Shady Solís from the Ministry of Culture, have discovered a well-preserved burial at the Áspero archaeological site in Barranca Province, Peru.

Mesolithic figurine found in Damjili Cave offers new clues to Neolithic transition

A stone figurine discovered in Damjili Cave, western Azerbaijan, is providing archaeologists with new insights into the cultural and symbolic transition from the Mesolithic to Neolithic in the South Caucasus.

Bite marks confirm gladiators fought lions at York

A recent study published in PLOS One has identified bite marks on human remains excavated from Driffield Terrace, a Roman cemetery on the outskirts of York, England.