Faqiang Li

Ph.D., Biochemistry, City University of New York, 2008

Contact

My research focuses on the role of ATG1/13 kinase complex in autopaghy regulation. In eukaryotic organisms, autophagy is a catabolic process involving the non-selective engulfment of bulk proteins and organelles in membrane-bound vesicles and subsequent degradation through lysosomal machinery. Autophagy plays an important role for recycling intracellular constituents during senescence and starvation. In yeast and mammals, autophagy process is initiated and regulated via the formation and modification of ATG1/13 kinase complex. The orthologs of ATG1 and ATG13 were identified in Arabidopsis, suggesting that a similar complex exists in plant. However, the regulation mechanism of plant ATG1/13 complex is unclear. Currently I am taking reverse genetic and biochemical approaches to reveal the function of ATG1/13 complex in plant and its regulation mechanism.