Inside Binghamton University Plant power Tracking the enzymes that propel growth By Susan E. Barker Biologist Susannah Gal is trying to find out how specific enzymes propel plant development, such as switching from growing leaves to making flowers. Like many plant researchers, Gal uses Arabidopsis thaliana, a member of the mustard family, in her studies. Gal is a Binghamton University plant biologist and one of three National Science Foundation Early Career Award winners at Binghamton. She is specifically interested in three of the 10 enzymes that make up the class known as aspartic proteases, like the HIV-1 protease.
Proteases generally act on proteins in one of two ways.
Gal's research seeks to establish the link between specific aspartic proteases and their effects. It changes from making leaves to making flowers, for instance, and both of these processes involve proteins. Since these processes probably involve different proteins, if the plant is growing and making leaves and suddenly has to switch to making flowers, it's got to get rid of the leaf proteins and produce flower-making proteins, Gal said. The plant has to have the proper proteases to accomplish either of these feats, she added. While most research in this area has been carried out in the test tube, Gal's experiments are designed to allow her to observe the effect of aspartic proteases within living plants.