The Role of Mitochondria in the Response to Environmental Stress in Plants

摘要

Plant mitochondria contain biochemical pathways and components that link the cellular processes of carbon and nitrogen metabolism in plants through the TCA cycle. They also contain the respiratory electron transport chain, components of the photorespiratory cycle, and provide carbon skeletons for amino acid biosynthesis. Respiration is a fundamental process in plants and is also a site of damage during environmental stress leading to a loss in plant energy production and restrictions in other mitochondrial functions. By studying the biogenesis and stress response in combination we are aiming to achieve a better understanding of the adaptation of mitochondria to stress. Currently we are focussed on thermal variation and salinity in the model plants Arabidopsis and Rice and in the crop plants Rice and Wheat.