Biochemical Genomics: Quizzing the Chemical Factories of Oilseeds

主要研究者：约翰·布拉斯（华盛顿州立大学）CoPIs：埃德加卡洪和扬贾沃斯基（唐纳德丹佛斯植物科学中心; subawardees），约翰Ohlrogge（密歇根州立大学;次级奖学金获得者），约翰·尚克林（SUNY、斯托尼布鲁克和布鲁克海文国家实验室; subawardee）主要合作者：Chaofu Lu（蒙大拿州立大学;该项目的目标是利用基因组学来访问基因和蛋白质的网络，这些基因和蛋白质操作化学工厂来合成和积累种子中的新型脂肪酸。 新酶功能的进化，以及其他生化和细胞生物学特征的共同进化，为种子油提供了数百种潜在有用的化学物质，包括本项目将研究的羟基化、共轭和环丙烷脂肪酸。 提供最佳途径功能所需的基因和蛋白质的详细描述将需要四种策略的综合部署：a）使用生物信息学和蛋白质工程研究和优化用于不寻常脂肪酸合成的酶的活性。 B）对在油合成期间取样的种子进行广泛测序，并使用功能基因组筛选来鉴定将新脂肪酸掺入油中所需的共进化酶（和其他蛋白质功能）。 c）对鉴定的蛋白质进行生物化学分析，并通过在转基因植物中的表达来量化它们对不寻常脂肪酸积累的贡献。d）分析膜中蛋白质-蛋白质相互作用，以了解这些途径的物理组织方式。 最后，将通过实验来验证所积累的知识，以利用多基因表达和途径工程来重建转基因植物中的天然途径。该项目的发现将使人们了解合成新型种子油的途径如何演变的基本原理。 信息和结果将在项目网站上提供：www.genomics.msu.edu/Oilseeds该项目的基本知识将使新一代特种作物的设计成为未来的绿色工厂，为工业润滑剂，溶剂油和生物柴油的生产提供条件。 该项目将通过与圣刘易斯科学中心的合作，帮助教育青年学生和公众。将在新的K-12学习实验室开发动手实验，并在主画廊，将开发“植物作为绿色工厂”的展品。 通过该项目的REU计划，将继续特别努力，包括代表性不足的群体，本科生将参加多学科的研究项目，将植物基因组学与生物化学结合在一起，以解决复杂但令人兴奋的挑战。

PI: John Browse (Washington State University)CoPIs: Edgar Cahoon and Jan Jaworski (Donald Danforth Plant Science Center; subawardees), John Ohlrogge (Michigan State University; subawardee), John Shanklin (SUNY, Stony Brook and Brookhaven National Laboratory; subawardee)Key Collaborator: Chaofu Lu (Montana State University; subawardee)The goal of this project is to use genomics to access the network of genes and proteins that operate chemical factories to synthesize and accumulate novel fatty acids in seeds. Evolution of new enzyme functions, together with the co-evolution of additional biochemical and cell biological traits, has provided hundreds of potentially useful chemicals in seed oils, including the hydroxylated, conjugated and cyclopropane fatty acids to be studied in this project. Providing a detailed description of genes and proteins required for optimal pathway function will require the integrated deployment of four strategies: a) Investigate and optimize the activities of enzymes for unusual fatty acid synthesis using bioinformatics and protein engineering. b) Carry out extensive sequencing of seeds sampled through the period of oil synthesis, and use functional genomic screens to identify co-evolved enzymes (and other protein functions) required for incorporation of the novel fatty acid into the oil. c) Perform biochemical analysis of the identified proteins and quantify their contributions to the accumulation of unusual fatty acids through expression in transgenic plants. d) Analyze protein-protein interactions in membranes to gain insight how these pathways are physically organized. Finally, the accumulated knowledge will be tested through experiments to reconstruct the native pathways in transgenic plants using expression of multiple genes and pathway engineering. The discoveries that result from this project will yield an understanding of the underlying principles of how pathways evolved for the synthesis of novel seed oils. Information and results will be available from the project website: www.genomics.msu.edu/Oilseeds The basic knowledge from this project will enable the design of a new generation of specialty crops that will become the green factories of the future, providing for the production of industrial lubicants, solvent oils and biodiesel. The project will help to educate young students and the general public through collaboration with the St Louis Science Center. Hands-on experiments will be developed in a new K-12 Learning Lab, and in the main gallery, exhibits on "Plants as Green Factories" will be developed. Through the project's REU program, that will continue to make special efforts to include underrepresented groups, undergraduate students will participate in multi-disciplinary research projects that bring plant genomics together with biochemistry to solve complex but exciting challenges.