Plant protein structure database will help to uncover unknown functions of plant genes

Rigorous analysis of the structures of thousands of plant proteins by Tetsuya Sakurai and colleagues from the RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science has led to the construction of a database that will help scientists identify the functions of more plant genes. 

Although the complete genomes have been sequenced for a number of plants and their genes have been identified, the functions of many of these genes remain unknown.

Arabidopsis thaliana, also known as thale cress, is one such model plant with a fully sequenced genome, and due to the genome's small size is used routinely in plant research. Yet despite the entire genome structure of Arabidopsis having been known for 15 years, the function of at least one third of its genes remains unclear.

As these gaps in knowledge can hamper research, Sakurai and his colleagues from RIKEN and Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology aimed to fill some of these gaps by analyzing the structures of proteins encoded by these 'unknown' genes.

"Each protein is folded, causing the linear chain of amino acids forming the protein to attain a defined three-dimensional structure," explains Sakurai. "Information about these folded protein structures can help to elucidate the function of the corresponding gene because the structures are highly specific and related to each protein's functions."