Functional characterization of TOL proteins in barley

Global warming and its indirect consequences include the lack of food security emphasized by suboptimal growth conditions which lead to tremendous yield losses. Barley (Hordeum vulgare) copes well with these environmental stress factors (e.g. salinity and heat) and carries subsequently the great potential to replace wheat as a staple food. The endomembrane system is a key player during the grain development: it is responsible for protein trafficking as well as for the final deposition of storage proteins into the storage organelles. Within the endomembrane system, the endosomal sorting complex required for transport (ESCRT) machinery acts like a hub and is responsible for sorting proteins, subsequently affecting the final deposition as well as the protein function. However, the correct operation of the ESCRT machinery is strongly affected by heat-, drought-, cold- and salt stress. Within this project, we will make a step change in our knowledge concerning the function of the (ESCRT-0) TOL proteins. Methods of plant biochemistry, proteomics, cell biology and genome editing will be combined to characterize barley TOL proteins during grain development and germination. A special focus within our approaches will be on #asnearaspossibletonature, #drootsystem and #sustainability, where first results point to the practicability of our efforts using our invented Lego #BIBLOX. Subsequently, the ultimate aim is the production of stress-resistant barley cultivars and to help to establish barley as future food grain.