The Effects of Redox Regulation on RCA Isoforms
Advisor(s)
Dr. Sarah Stainbrook; Washington University of St. Louis
Discipline
Biology
Start Date
21-4-2021 10:45 AM
End Date
21-4-2021 11:05 AM
Abstract
As global temperatures continue to rise, food security has become more of a problem for scientists to solve, and one approach is to improve photo-synthesis production in plants. Photosynthesis in many plant species is limited when temperatures increase past their optimal range. As a result, research has been geared toward how to improve Rubisco Activase (RCA), a key enzyme in photosynthesis which is also redox-regulated. We investigate whether Sorghum bicolor and Setaria viridis RCA-α and -β isoforms expressed from Escherichia coli respond to redox regulating elements in the same way as isoforms purified from the plants. We analyze whether reducing agents glutathione and thioredoxin-f affect ATPase activity and RuBisCO activation of each RCA isoform for both species. Furthermore, we examine how these results change in vitro when heat increases. Our preliminary results from Western blotting of isoform expression differ from those recently published by Kim et al. and indicate that further study is needed.
The Effects of Redox Regulation on RCA Isoforms
As global temperatures continue to rise, food security has become more of a problem for scientists to solve, and one approach is to improve photo-synthesis production in plants. Photosynthesis in many plant species is limited when temperatures increase past their optimal range. As a result, research has been geared toward how to improve Rubisco Activase (RCA), a key enzyme in photosynthesis which is also redox-regulated. We investigate whether Sorghum bicolor and Setaria viridis RCA-α and -β isoforms expressed from Escherichia coli respond to redox regulating elements in the same way as isoforms purified from the plants. We analyze whether reducing agents glutathione and thioredoxin-f affect ATPase activity and RuBisCO activation of each RCA isoform for both species. Furthermore, we examine how these results change in vitro when heat increases. Our preliminary results from Western blotting of isoform expression differ from those recently published by Kim et al. and indicate that further study is needed.