beta_helix Staff Lv 1
In the long term, it has potential applications in controlling the amount of oil, protein, and/or starch that is stored in seeds. The mechanism by which it regulates composition is not understood.
Solving this structure would not only help guide our experimentation to test its structure, but also help us in understanding its potential regulatory partners, and ultimately in understanding how carbon flux in plants is controlled.
More info about how this protein negatively controls the bio-synthesis of starch in plants and regulates leaf and seed composition:
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-313X.2009.03793.x/full