Journal of Biotechnology & Biomaterials
Open Access

Abstract

In addition to forming part of proteins and performing catalytic functions in many enzymes, L-Serparticipates in the biosynthesis of several biomolecules required for cell proliferation including amino acids, nitrogenous bases, phospholipids and sphingolipids.There is also some evidence to suggest that serine may be involved in the responses of plants to various environmental stresses (Ho and Saito, 2001). In plants, serine is synthesized through different metabolic pathways: Theglycolate pathway associated with photorespiration that occurs in mitochondria, the glycerate pathway and the phosphorylated pathway (PP) which is located in plastids. This later PP has been considered of minor importance till very recently where it has been demonstrated to be essential at least for embryo, pollen and root development in Arabidopsis. The PP has also been suggested to be involved in the plant response to stresses.In this sense overexpression of one enzyme of the PP pathway from the cyanobacterium Aphanothece halophytica into Arabidopsis plants increased their salt tolerance although the molecular mechanism remains unclear to date. In this communication we show that genes of the Arabidopsis PP are highly induced by environmental stresses such cold and salt stress. It was also studied the stress response of PP mutants and overexpressing plants and found that some mutants are hypersensitive to salt stress. It is aimedto understand how PP affects plant development and acclimation to abiotic stresses.

Biography

Roc Ros is professor of Plant Biology at the ERI of Biotechnology and Biomedicine of the University of Valencia. He teaches Biotechnology and Master degree of ?Research in cellular biology, molecular biology and genetics?. He has a long research experience in plant metabolism, development and responses to abiotic stresses.