Molecular analysis of grass stem cell wall development for biofuel production enhancement
EMSL Project ID
49122
Abstract
This proposal is for pilot experiments toward developing a comprehensive proteome, phosphoproteome, and cell wall composition analysis of grass internode cell wall development. Grass cell walls are one of the most abundant potential sources for biofuel production. However, the biological conversion of grass biomass to fuel is limited by deconstruction of cell walls into component sugars. Grass cell walls have divergent content and tissue patterning and their cell wall synthesis and control is likely different from those of dicots. Therefore, understanding grass cell wall synthesis and control will improve the quality of grass as a feedstock of biofuel. We propose a combined proteome, phosphoproteome, and cell wall chemical analysis of an elongating stem internode in rice, a model grass with a well-annotated genome. Our microscopy-based survey demonstrates that the second internode at elongation stage exhibits a gradient of lignin, which indicates active cell wall synthesis in the basal and central segments of the internode and less deposition in the upper parts. Enrichment of protein phosphorylation events in a rice secondary cell wall network and a number of literature reports of protein kinases and phosphorylations events related to cell wall processes, justifies attainment of phosphoproteome data for this developmental gradient. Upon dividing the internode divided into seven uneven segments, we propose to determine the abundance patterns of proteins and phosphoproteins, and cell wall components along the internode. We expect abundance of proteins with known roles in grass cell walls to correlate with the deposition of appropriate cell wall components. By modeling the relationship between the abundance of proteins (or phosphopeptides) and the accumulation of cell wall components, we can then predict that other proteins (or phosphorylation event) with similar relationships with cell wall components may function in cell wall biology. With the proposed experiment, we will obtain detailed profiles of each cell wall components along the internode and test the approaches of proteome and phosphoportoeme assays that we developed based on pilot experiments of our own. This study will in itself be publishable and serve to optimize the depth of proteomics and phosphoprteomics study, validate reproducibility, and develop more specific hypotheses for a full proposal.
Project Details
Project type
Exploratory Research
Start Date
2015-10-15
End Date
2016-09-30
Status
Closed
Released Data Link
Team
Principal Investigator