Unraveling the role of the SAMBA gene in the metabolomics profile of tomato cv. Micro-Tom

• Grant number: 22/04299-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Post-doctor
• Start date: October 01, 2022
• End date: April 30, 2023
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Biochemistry - Molecular Biology
• Principal Investigator: Nubia Barbosa Eloy
• Grantee: Perla Novais de Oliveira
• Supervisor: Ralph Bock
• Host Institution: Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz (ESALQ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Piracicaba , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Max Planck Society, Potsdam, Germany
• Associated to the scholarship: 21/06611-8 - APC as an entry point to study small molecule regulation of the cell cycle, BP.PD

Abstract

The Anaphase-Promoting Complex/Cyclosome (APC/C) is an E3 ubiquitin ligase involved in ubiquitin-dependent proteolysis of key cell cycle regulators by the 26S proteasome. The spatio-temporal degradation of mitotic cyclins and securins ensures the correct onset of the cell cycle phases and exit from the cell division program, respectively. The identification of genes encoding APC/C subunits in Arabidopsis thaliana suggests that the complex has other specific functions during plant development, such as embryogenesis, gametogenesis, growth regulation, hormone signaling and symbiotic interactions. Despite extensive research on APC/C, only a few components have been functionally characterized in plants. One of these proteins proved to be a highly promising candidate in Arabidopsis regarding to increase productivity, through production of larger leaves, roots and seeds. During the last years, several molecular-biology tools have been extensively used in scientific research for identifying new function of proteins and metabolites. In this project we aim to use metabolomics to identify and characterize metabolites that bind to the APC/C subunit in the model plant tomato, and to potentially define their roles in plant development, providing important insights for further discoveries of fundamental biological processes that will improve the performance of this commercial crop.