Chemical effectors of plant endocytosis and endomembrane trafficking

Abstract

Plant endocytosis and endomembrane trafficking relies on the coordination of a highly organized and dynamic network of intracellular organelles. Membrane trafficking and associated signal transduction pathways provide critical cellular regulation of plant development and response to environmental stimuli. However, the efficiency of studies on this complex network has been hampered due to the rapid and dynamic nature of endomembrane trafficking as well as gene redundancy and embryonic lethality in mutagenesis-based strategies. Chemical genomics emerged in recent years as a complementary approach to illuminate biological functions through the integration of organic chemistry, biology, and bioinformatics to overcome gene redundancy. The approach presents significant advantages in dosage dependence and reversibility, which offers the ideal ability to study dynamic endomembrane trafficking processes in real time. In this chapter, several successful examples of chemical screening focused on the endomembrane system is presented to illuminate the efficiency and power of chemical genomics in dissecting endomembrane trafficking and its regulation of plant development and environmental responses. Perspectives are also presented to suggest directions for future development of this field.