We are interested in understanding how membrane trafficking is regulated in plant cells. In particular, we are analyzing the dynamics of endosomal compartments, which mediate membrane traffic from both the plasma membrane and the secretory pathway to the vacuole.
Diagram of the endosomal pathway in plants and some of the subcellular markers we use to study the plant endomembrane trafficking pathways
The three main projects in the Otegui Lab are:
1. The study of the endosomal pathway in plants by the expression of subcellular markers fused to fluorescent proteins and the analysis of protein trafficking through the endosomal compartments.
2. The analysis of the specific roles of endosomes and prevacuolar compartments in storage protein transport in seeds.
3. The analysis of the molecular basis of endosomal functions in plants.
We use a variety of multidisciplinary techniques, including cryofixation/freeze substitution, electron and confocal microscopy, dual-axis electron tomography, immunolabeling, subcellular fractionation, RT-PCR, and expression of fluorescent fusion proteins and heterologous proteins in Arabidopsis thaliana, tobacco BY2 cells, and maize.
Tomographic 3D reconstructions of Golgi in an Arabidopsis thaliana embryo cell