Gayle K. Lamppa, University of Chicago
Associate Professor
Chicago, Illinois
gklamppa@uchicago.edu
Office:
(773) 702-9837
Bio/Research
Our major goal is to understand how the pathway of protein import into chloroplasts is regulated, and elucidate the key components involved and their functional roles. The chloroplast carries out the essential reactions of photosynthesis, and houses an amazing array of biosynthetic pathways requi...
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Bio/Research
Our major goal is to understand how the pathway of protein import into chloroplasts is regulated, and elucidate the key components involved and their functional roles. The chloroplast carries out the essential reactions of photosynthesis, and houses an amazing array of biosynthetic pathways required for plant development. The chloroplast contains its own DNA, but ~98% of its proteins are encoded by the nuclear genome and synthesized in the cytosol as precursors that must be imported. We identified a zinc-binding stromal processing peptidase (SPP) that removes targeting signals from nearly all proteins entering the chloroplast, allowing them to achieve their functional conformations. Biochemical and transgenic plant studies demonstrated that SPP has been highly conserved during evolution and is essential for plant survival. Because of its pivotal role during protein import, we are establishing how SPP recognizes its unique precursor substrates, the mechanism underlying cleavage, and how SPP activation is controlled.
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