Plant amino acid metabolism

Amino acids are involved in several physiological processes in plants apart from constituting proteins. Plant amino acid metabolism strongly reacts to challenges caused by both, biotic as well as abiotic stress conditions and provides a diverse set of signaling and defense compounds. Our group aims to identify the presently unknown reaction steps and pathways involved in amino acid catabolism. Using drought stress and germination as model conditions for increased protein turnover we study amino acid metabolism in Arabidopsis thaliana and Lupinus albus on a quantivitve level. We are also interested in the biochemical mechanisms of amino acid sensing and signaling.