Control of Plant Metabolic System by Engineering of Vacuolar Membrane Proteins

Research Project Outline

The vacuole is the largest organelle in plants cells and occupies most of the cell volume. Vacuoles are indispensable for maintaining the homeostasis of the cellular environment and metabolic activity. Communication between the vacuole and the rest of the cell occurs across the vacuolar membrane, in which is embedded a multitude of proteins, most of which are expected to be involved in transport of molecules into and from the vacuole. In the present study, we will transform vacuolar membrane proteins, and analyze the changes in metabolites both in the vacuole and in the cytoplasm. In this way we hope to identify the role of vacuolar membrane proteins in regulating cellular metabolism through transport-related changes in metabolite levels. The modification of the vacuolar membrane transporters may enable the new possibility for the production of useful materials.