What components in the signal transduction pathways detect and respond to environmental cues?
To identify key genes, proteins and metabolites that function in the signal transduction pathways that detect and respond to signals we are applying reverse genetics, forward genetics, and alterations to key components of energy metabolism, in combination with proteomics and metabolomics. The reverse genetics approach has already revealed a number of transcription factors that are up-regulated in leaves of plants transferred from low to high light. Work has begun to isolate and analyse transgenic plants with alterations in expression of these transcription factors either using over-expression or insertional knockouts. Employing forward genetics we have generated a novel set of Arabidopsis mutations that result in altered responses to drought and high light intensity. We are determining the molecular basis for the key responses we have identified. Using a combination of metabolomic and genomic approaches we are investigating the coordination of energy and redox metabolism throughout the
