In the Signal Integration Group we are interested in a fascinating nuclear mechanism for small molecule perception in plants that depends on ubiquitin-mediated protein degradation (UPS). Eukaryotic cells utilize an enzymatic cascade that directly recruits a protein target enabling the attachment of one or various ubiquitins with specific topologies. This serves as a targeting signal for degradation by the proteasome, for instance.
Using molecular biology, biochemical and biophysical approaches, the Signal Integration Group seeks to understand how protein-protein interactions that result in ubiquitin-mediated protein degradation react to changes in signal molecules, including phytohormones. Particularly, certain Cullin RING E3-ubiquitin ligases (CRLs) together with their unstable, highly flexible protein targets act as phytohormone receptors, and ultimately as signal integrators.
Come join us to impact the protein degradation field, and to investigate how the UPS modulates phytohormone-mediated gene regulation!
