Sulfenomics: oxidatieve schakelaars in planten. Hoe zwavelhoudende planteneiwitten via 'agressieve' zuurstof praten (FWOAL714)

Oxygen is vital to the respiration of almost all cells. Among other things, the cells use the gas in the process of burning sugars to produce energy. But oxygen is a very aggressive molecule and can do serious harm to the cell's building blocks. These harmful reactive forms of oxygen are called reactive oxygen species (ROS). Our body's proteins, which are made up of amino acids and perform essential roles, can be modified and injured by these reactive species of oxygen. This is certainly the case for proteins that contain sulfurous components, with the amino acid cysteine as the basis.Today, researchers don't understand the code of the ROS language used by the cell. As the ROS wave travels through the cell, the thiol (-SH) - disulfide (-S-S-) exchange switches keep the wave on the signaling track away from fatal damage. We still need to get a clearer view on how the cell senses ROS above the metabolic ROS noise, allowing signaling, regulation, and finally protection.We focus in our study on the ROS-wave in plants and we want to know the proteins that react with ROS on the thiol (-SH) of the amino acid cysteine, which after reaction forms a sulfenic acid (-SOH). We will implement a genetic probe in plants to identify sulfenylated proteins - the sulfenome - at a proteome-wide scale during oxidative stress. We aim to establish a detailed structural and functional view of the mode of action of the redox biomolecules in signaling and during oxidative stress survival.

Trefwoorden:sulfenic acid

Disciplines:Biochemie van planten, Plantenbiologie