The Environmental & Plant Biology Colloquium Series presents Dr. Imara Perera on “Inositol Phosphate Signaling in Plants” on Friday, Oct. 14, at 11:50 a.m. in Porter Hall 104.
Dr. Imara Perera
Perera is a Research Associate Professor in the Department of Plant and Microbial Biology at North Carolina State University.
Abstract: Inositol phosphates (InsP)s are implicated in signaling in response to abiotic and biotic stresses in plants. They are derived from the sequential phosphorylation of myo-inositol or from hydrolysis of inositol-containing phospholipids. Inositol hexakisphosphate (InsP6) is the most abundant InsP in plants and is the main phosphate storage molecule in seeds. Recent work has shown that InsP6 can be further phosphorylated by specific VIP kinases to generate inositol pyrophosphates (InsP7 and InsP8). These “high-energy molecules” are linked to maintaining phosphate (Pi) and energy homeostasis in yeast and mammals. We identified two VIP kinases from Arabidopsis and have determined that they encode functional enzymes. Current research is focused on understanding the role of these novel pyrophosphate molecules in plants, particularly their involvement in energy and nutrient sensing and signaling.
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