Scientific question

Bioactive peptides are found in all living organisms and are involved in many physiological processes. In plants, bioactive peptides in the form of peptide hormones and phytocytokines play a special role, for example, in defense against pathogens or abiotic stress management. The molecular investigation of bioactive peptides has been rather neglected in the field of proteomics so far, as both sample preparation and data evaluation involve special analytical challenges.

Approach

The aim of this work is to establish a peptidomics workflow optimized for different plant species and sample types (cell cultures, tissue, apoplastic wash fluid). For this purpose, peptide extraction methods have to be developed as well as new mass spectrometric data analysis strategies have to be established, which have to be able to decipher various post-translational modifications of bioactive peptides (collaboration: Wilhelm).

Expected results

The established peptidomics workflow will be used to address various biological questions within the this network, such as the response of the plant peptidome after bacterial or fungal attack, the handling of abiotic stress or during germination (collaboration: Hückelhoven, Poppenberger, Schwechheimer, Schön, Gutjahr).