Physiology and biophysics of plant vacuolar transport proteins

The central vacuole is a large acidic organelle fulfilling a multitude of important functions in plant cells, among which metabolite storage, ion and pH homeostasis and detoxification. On the whole-plant level, the vacuole thereby influences water balance, nutrient distribution, photosynthesis and growth. The plant cell dynamically adjusts vacuolar morphology and the composition and activity of the set of transport systems embedded in the vacuolar membrane (termed tonoplast) in response to cellular and environmental cues.
My principal activity centers around physiological and biophysical aspects of vacuolar ion transport activity, regulatory mechanisms and the relationships between protein structure and function. In particular, my interests are on anion transport by ALMT and CLC family members, the mechanisms of vacuolar acidification and the role of the signaling lipid phosphatidylinositol-3,5-bisphosphate.

Members:
Antonella Gradogna
Joachim Scholz - Starke (Principal investigator)