Project Number: 3611-21000-020-04
Project Type: Reimbursable

Start Date: Sep 30, 2005
End Date: Apr 30, 2008

Objective:
The photosynthetic characteristics and growth under various enviromental regines will be determined for a series of transgenic Arabidopsis plants in which modified forms of Rubisco activase have been introduced to alter the regulation of Rubisco. The properties of these plants should indicate the significance of Rubisco regulation as a determinant of plant productivity and in the response of plants to their environment.

Approach:
The physiological consequences of altering the activity and other kinetic properties of a regulatory protein such as Rubisco activase cannot always be predicted on the basis of in vitro experiments with the isolated proteins. A detailed examination of plants transformed with altered Rubisco activase proteins is necessary to verify ultimately any conclusions drawn from in vitro studies and the study of such plants can address questions that cannot be approached in any other way and is likely to raise new questions. Thus evaluation ot the properties of such transformed plants are likely to provide new insights into the regulatory process. Urbana, IL, BSl-1, Certified September 9, 2001 through life of agreement.