Bonnie Bartel

About

Bonnie Bartel is the Ralph and Dorothy Looney Professor of BioSciences at Rice University. Her research focuses on uncovering the mechanisms by which cells assemble and destroy peroxisomes, which are subcellular membrane-bound organelles that sequester essential but potentially harmful metabolic reactions. Her lab uses genetic, genomic, cell biological, and biochemical approaches to study peroxisome biology, particularly in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. The research aims to understand peroxisome biogenesis, dynamics, degradation, and function during Arabidopsis development. Her work leverages the unique features of plant peroxisomes, such as their size and genetic tractability, to advance mechanistic hypotheses and expand understanding of these vital organelles.

Research topics

• Biology
• Cell biology
• Computer Science
• Biochemistry
• Genetics
• Computational biology
• Chemistry

Selected publications

• Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy (4th edition)¹

  Autophagy · 2021 · 2557 citations

  autophagic responses. Here, we critically discuss current methods of assessing autophagy and the information they can, or cannot, provide. Our ultimate goal is to encourage intellectual and technical innovation in the field.

  DOI

• Peroxisome Function, Biogenesis, and Dynamics in Plants

  PLANT PHYSIOLOGY · 2017-10-11 · 172 citations

  reviewOpen accessSenior author

  Eukaryotic cells employ organellar compartmentalization to increase efficiency of cellular processes and protect cellular components from harmful products, such as reactive oxygen species. Peroxisomes are organelles that sequester diverse oxidative reactions and play important roles in metabolism, reactive oxygen species detoxification, and signaling. Oxidative pathways housed in peroxisomes include fatty acid β-oxidation, which contributes to embryogenesis, seedling growth, and stomatal opening…

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Biology in Bloom: A Primer on the <i>Arabidopsis thaliana</i> Model System

  Genetics · 2018-04-01 · 75 citations

  reviewOpen accessSenior authorCorresponding

  Abstract Arabidopsis thaliana could have easily escaped human scrutiny. Instead, Arabidopsis has become the most widely studied plant in modern biology despite its absence from the dinner table. Pairing diminutive stature and genome with prodigious resources and tools, Arabidopsis offers a window into the molecular, cellular, and developmental mechanisms underlying life as a multicellular photoautotroph. Many basic discoveries made using this plant have spawned new research areas, even beyond th…

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• A <i><scp>PEX</scp>5</i> missense allele preferentially disrupts <scp>PTS</scp>1 cargo import into Arabidopsis peroxisomes

  Plant Direct · 2019-03-01 · 72 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior authorCorresponding

  Abstract The sorting of eukaryotic proteins to various organellar destinations requires receptors that recognize cargo protein targeting signals and facilitate transport into the organelle. One such receptor is the peroxin PEX 5, which recruits cytosolic cargo carrying a peroxisome‐targeting signal ( PTS ) type 1 ( PTS 1) for delivery into the peroxisomal lumen (matrix). In plants and mammals, PEX 5 is also indirectly required for peroxisomal import of proteins carrying a PTS 2 signal because PE…

  PublisherDOI

• A facile forward-genetic screen for<i>Arabidopsis</i>autophagy mutants reveals twenty-one loss-of-function mutations disrupting six<i>ATG</i>genes

  Autophagy · 2019-02-08 · 46 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior authorCorresponding

  Macroautophagy is a process through which eukaryotic cells degrade large substrates including organelles, protein aggregates, and invading pathogens. Over 40 autophagy-related (ATG) genes have been identified through forward-genetic screens in yeast. Although homology-based analyses have identified conserved ATG genes in plants, only a few atg mutants have emerged from forward-genetic screens in Arabidopsis thaliana. We developed a screen that consistently recovers Arabidopsis atg mutations by e…

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Recent grants

• Peroxisome dynamics - biogenesis and turnover

  NSF · $615k · 2015–2020

• Functional Analysis of Early-acting Peroxins in Matrix Protein Import

  NSF · $622k · 2008–2014

• NIH Grant S10RR02639901

  NIH · $500k · 2011

Frequent coauthors

• David P. Bartel

  Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

  32 shared

• Lucia C. Strader

  Duke University

  19 shared

• Bethany K. Zolman

  University of Missouri–St. Louis

  16 shared

• Rebekah A. Rampey

  Harding University Main Campus

  15 shared

• Matthew W. Rhoades

  Massachusetts Institute of Technology

  11 shared

• Melanie Monroe-Augustus

  Rice University

  11 shared

• Brenda J. Reinhart

  Carnegie Institution for Science

  10 shared

• Andrew W. Woodward

  University of Mary Hardin–Baylor

  10 shared

Labs

• Bartel LabPI

  We use genetic and cell biological approaches to elucidate peroxisome biogenesis, degradation, dynamics, and functions in the reference plant Arabidopsis thaliana

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