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Virginia Tech

Inositol Pyrophosphate Phosphatases as Key Enzymes to Understand and Manipulate Phosphate Sensing in Plants

Abstract

dc:description.abstract

Phosphorus (P) is one of the three major macronutrients that plants need to grow and survive. When P is scarce, plants utilize a network of characterized responses known as the Phosphate Starvation Response (PSR) to remobilize internal stores of P as well as external P from soil. Emerging evidence shows the PSR is regulated by a specialized group of secondary messenger molecules, inositol pyrophosphates (PP-InsP). PP-InsPs and their precursors, inositol phosphates (InsPs), are important for plant abiotic stress responses, hormone signaling, and other stress responses. While PP-InsPs are critical for plant survival, much about the roles of PP-InsPs and how they are regulated remains to be understood. Further, the enzymes responsible for the synthesis of PP-InsPs in plants have been recently discovered; however, not much is known about the enzymes that degrade PP-InsPs in plants. The goal of the work presented herein is to understand critical aspects of the PP-InsP signaling in plants and leverage this information into a P phytoremediation strategy. To achieve this, I have investigated a group of PP-InsP phosphatases and assessed long-term impacts of depleting PP-InsPs in two plant species, Arabidopsis thaliana (Arabidopsis) and Thlaspi arvense (Pennycress). Exploring the impact of plant PP-InsP phosphatases has allowed me to explore critical aspects of PP-InsP sensing that show great promise for informing P remediation strategies.

Degree

thesis:*
Name thesis:degree_name
Doctor of Philosophy
Level thesis:degree_level
doctoral
Discipline thesis:degree_discipline
Biochemistry
Department dc:contributor.department
Biochemistry
Grantor dc:publisher
Virginia Tech
Year dc:date.issued
2022

Author and committee

dc:creator, dc:contributor.*
Author dc:creator
  • Freed, Catherine P.
Chair dc:contributor.committeechair
  • Gillaspy, Glenda E.
Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember
  • Beers, Eric P.
  • Slade, Daniel J.
  • Jutras, Brandon L.

Subjects

dc:subject × 9

Rights

dc:rights
Statement dc:rights
  • In Copyright
Language dc:language.iso
en

Identifiers

dc:identifier.*
Dc Identifier Other
vt_gsexam:33911
OAI identifier oai:identifier
oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/107998

Chain of custody

source
Harvested from
Virginia Tech
Base URL
vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/oai/request
Last updated
2026-07-22
Source record
OAI-PMH GetRecord
citation

Freed, Catherine P.. Inositol Pyrophosphate Phosphatases as Key Enzymes to Understand and Manipulate Phosphate Sensing in Plants. doctoral thesis, Virginia Tech, 2022. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/107998