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Albrecht von Arnim MS: University of Freiburg, Germany (1988) 228 Hesler Biology |
Keywords:
Cell and developmental biology of Arabidopsis, Responses to the light environment, Translational control, Bioluminescence technology.
Research Area:
Molecular mechanisms of light signal transduction in Arabidopsis
Description of Research:
A plant can be regarded as a processor that senses environmental light conditions and transduces this information to shape development of the organism to achieve optimal growth (photomorphogenesis). Our goal is to understand the mechanistic basis for these fascinating events. This research employs cell biology and molecular genetics and is greatly facilitated by the tools of genomics, which have become easily accessible in our model organism, Arabidopsis thaliana. These include the completed Arabidopsis genome sequence, T-DNA knockout insertion lines, transposon mutagenesis, facile generation of transgenic plants, and more. Part of our effort is to contribute to the tools of proteomics and functional genomics, specifically, by optimizing a real-time in vivo method to study protein-protein interactions, termed Bioluminescence Resonance Energy Transfer (BRET). Another major project investigates how light signals modulate the subcellular and subnuclear localization of key regulatory proteins in Arabidopsis thaliana. These proteins are highly conserved among higher eukaryotes and can be studied well in Arabidopsis given the unique combination of biochemistry, genetics, and cell biology possible in this organism. We are particularly intrigued by a novel biochemical line of communication between the cellular machineries for translation (protein synthesis) and proteolysis (protein degradation). Interestingly, derailment of this process may underlie certain cases of cancer in humans.
Selected Publications:
- Kim, B.H. and von Arnim, A.G. (2006). The Early Dark-Response in Arabidopsis thaliana Revealed by cDNA Microarray Analysis. Plant Molecular Biology (in press)
- Subramanian, C., Kim, B.H., Lyssenko, N.N., Xu, X, Johnson, C.H., and von Arnim, A.G. (2004). The Arabidopsis repressor of light signaling, COP1, is regulated by nuclear exclusion: Mutational analysis by bioluminescence resonance energy transfer. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 101: 6798-6802.
- Kim, T.H., Kim, B.H., Yahalom, A., Chamovitz, D.A., and von Arnim, A.G. (2004). Developmental regulation via 5' mRNA leader sequences through the translation initiation factor subunit eIF3h in Arabidopsis. Plant Cell. 16: 3341-3356.
- von Arnim, A.G. (2003). On again – off again: Cop9 signalosome turns the key on protein degradation.. Curr. Opin. Plant Biol.. 6: 520-529.
- Qin, H., Dong, Y., and von Arnim, A.G. (2003). Epigenetic interactions between Arabidopsis transgenes: characterization in light of transgene integration sites.. Plant Mol. Biol.. 52: 217-231.
- Yahalom, A., Kim, T.-H., Winter, E., Karniol, B., von Arnim, A.G., and Chamovitz, D.A (2001). Arabidopsis eIF3e (INT-6) Associates with Both eIF3c and the COP9 Signalosome Subunit CSN7. J. Biol. Chem. 276: 334-340.
- Stacey, M.G., Kopp, O.R., Kim, T.-H., and von Arnim, A.G. (2000). Modular domain structure of Arabidopsis COP1: Reconstitution of activity by fragment complementation and mutational analysis of a nuclear localization signal in planta. Plant Physiology. 124: 979-990.
- Stacey, M.G., and von Arnim, A.G. (1999). A novel motif mediates the targeting of the Arabidopsis COP1 protein to subnuclear foci. J. Biol. Chem. 274: 27231-27236.
- Stacey, M.G., Hicks, S.N., and von Arnim, A.G. (1999). Discrete domains mediate the light-responsive nuclear and cytoplasmic localization of Arabidopsis COP1.. Plant Cell. 11: 349-364.
Invited Reviews and Book Chapters:
- Kim, T.H., Kim, B.H., and von Arnim, A.G. (2002). Repressors of photomorphogenesis. Int. Rev. Cytol 220: 185-223.
- von Arnim, A.G. (2001). A hitchhiker's guide to the proteasome. STKE 97: pe3.
- Kim, T.H., Hofmann, K., von Arnim, A.G., and Chamovitz, D.A. (2001). PCI complexes: pretty complex interactions in diverse signaling pathways. Trends Plant Sci 6: 379-386.