Our research focuses on plant amino acid metabolism in the context of environmental interactions and development. Using a combination of biochemical and omics approaches we aim to identify presently unknown reaction steps as well as biochemical mechanisms of amino acid sensing and signaling. Within CEPLAS we will contribute our expertise in plant proteomics and biochemistry to unravel the functions of seed storage proteins during development and to study metabolic interactions between plants and microbes.

1. Moormann J, Heinemann B, HildebrandtTM (2022) News about amino acid metabolism in plant-microbe interactions. Trends in biochemical sciences 47(10): 839–850. doi:10.1016/j.tibs.2022.07.001.
2. Heinemann B, Künzler P, Eubel H, Braun H-P, HildebrandtTM (2021) Estimating the number of protein molecules in a plant cell: protein and amino acid homeostasis during drought. Plant physiology 185(2):385–404. doi:10.1093/plphys/kiaa050.
3. Heinemann B, HildebrandtTM (2021) The role of amino acid metabolism in signaling and metabolic adaptation to stress-induced energy deficiency in plants. Journal of experimental botany 72(13):4634–4645. doi:10.1093/jxb/erab182.
4. HildebrandtTM, Nunes Nesi A, Araújo WL, Braun H-P (2015) Amino Acid Catabolism in Plants. Molecular plant 8(11):1563–1579. doi:10.1016/j.molp.2015.09.005.
5. Krüßel L, Junemann J, Wirtz M, Birke H, Thornton JD, Browning LW, Poschet G, Hell R, Balk J, Braun H-P, HildebrandtTM (2014) The mitochondrial sulfur dioxygenase ETHYLMALONIC ENCEPHALOPATHY PROTEIN1 is required for amino acid catabolism during carbohydrate starvation and embryo development in Arabidopsis. Plant physiology 165(1):92–104. doi:10.1104/pp.114.239764.