An international research team led by scientists at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), has produced the first comprehensive map of the proteome of the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. The team has mapped around 18,000 of all the proteins found in the plant.

Proteins are the main molecular players in every cell. They are biocatalysts, transmit signals inside and between cells, form the structure of a cell, and much more. The team of Dr. Julia Mergner and Prof. Bernhard Kuster examined Arabidopsis using biochemical and analytical high-throughput methods to find out more about its molecular composition. The team found that more than 18,000 of the plant's 27,000 genes exist as proteins. The research also identified where they are located within the plant, and their approximate quantities.

[www.tum.de]