Study of the expression of the GDU1-related genes in Arabidopsis

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Guillaume Pilot
• Subject Area: Plant Physiology
• Term: from 2005 to 2008
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 14475769

Amino acid transport in plants allows the exchange of organic nitrogen between the various organs. Import is mediated by specific transporters and is well characterized, while the export mechanisms are not identified. A gene, GDU1 (Glutamine Dumper1), which may be involved in amino acid export by the cells, has recently been identified by screening an activation tagging library. Overexpression of GDU1, a membrane protein of unknown function, leads to secretion of glutamine from the hydathodes. Work aiming at finding the precise function of GDU1 is underway. Proteins similar to GDU1 are found only in plants (five members in Arabidopsis genome). The Arabidopsis GDU1-like proteins share 76 to 32 % sequence similarity to GDU1. In order to characterize these genes, we want to localize the expression and the function of the encoded proteins using both genetic and physiological approaches. These data should provide clues to understand the specific roles of the various GDU1-like genes in the plant.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants