Jennifer Schoberer

Overview

Protein localisation signals and mechanisms in plant cells, intracellular transport of glycosylation enzymes and secretory proteins, structure-function of the plant Golgi apparatus, high-resolution optical imaging of live cells

Leader: Ass.Prof. Mag. Dr. Jennifer Schoberer
 

Research in our group concentrates on getting a better understanding of the plant secretory pathway, which serves as a production platform for proteins and polysaccharides. The overall goal is to understand the fundamental cell biology of the Golgi apparatus, which is a central biosynthetic organelle of the secretory pathway in all eukaryotes. Our aims are:

(1) the elucidation the organisation of biosynthetic enzymes involved in N-glycan processing or polysaccharide assembly in the Golgi stack,

(2) the identification of the signals and underlying mechanisms responsible for organising these enzymes, and 

(3) application of this knowledge to modulate N-glycan profiles of glycoproteins or cell wall composition for various biotechnological applications.

To address these goals, we utilise the model plants Nicotiana benthamiana and Arabidopsis thaliana, along with techniques such as live cell imaging, biochemistry, mass spectrometry, electron microscopy, and analysis of Arabidopsis mutant plants, to study the subcellular localisation, transport, and interaction of proteins in real-time in living cells.

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molecular biology

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confocal microscopy and live-cell imaging

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affinity-purification mass spectrometry

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transmission electron microscopy

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protein-protein interaction studies

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Arabidopsis reverse genetic analysis

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glycan analysis 

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RNAseq (volcano plot)

all projects (FIS)
 

Characterisation of the Arabidopsis Xylan Synthase Complex

The hemicellulose xylan is present in both primary and secondary cell walls, and is the main non-cellulosic polysaccharide found in industrially important biomass, such as wood and grasses. Despite its central role in plant development, growth, cell wall strength, and biomass recalcitrance, little is known about the organisation and distribution of xylan biosynthetic proteins within the Golgi apparatus, or how these factors affect xylan biosynthesis and cell wall formation. Our aim is to uncover the mechanisms behind the formation and localisation of the xylan synthase complex in the model plants Arabidopsis and Nicotiana, and to assess the effect of these factors on xylan production and cell wall composition in mutant plants. Ultimately, our goal is to identify the key factors that enable modification of xylan biosynthesis and cell wall structure.