Genetic control of starch structure and composition in wheat and implications for improving human health

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Wheat provides approximately one fifth of the calories consumed by humans worldwide, thus improving the nutritional value of wheat grains has potential to make a large impact on human health. Starch composition and structure play a major role in digestibility by humans. However, there is little natural variation in the starch composition of common bread wheat. In an effort to improve the nutritional quality of foods for human health, this project will focus on understanding the genetic components underlying starch composition and structure in the grain and what consequences this may have for human digestibility. The applied nature of this project will aid in the development of wheat plants with enhanced nutritional value that can be used in food and health studies in Norwich. It will also provide further insight and understanding of starch biosynthesis in wheat and how it may affect plant fitness and potential agronomic quality.This project will be based upon previous research that has generated valuable genetic and genomic resources in wheat including over 1,500 sequenced TILLING mutants. The student will build a solid skill set in modern plant breeding and trait development. He/she will utilize cutting-edge molecular techniques and bioinformatics approaches to identify and characterize novel alleles regulating starch composition and structure in the grain. The project will also provide applied opportunities for the student to develop and use plant materials in human health related studies. The student will be supervised by a multidisciplinary team across the Norwich Research Park at both the Institute of Food Research and the John Innes Centre.