Functional charcterization of plant secondary metabolism/metabolites

植物次生代谢物是调节植物与环境之间相互作用的化合物。我的研究计划探索(1)参与次生代谢的途径和(2)次生代谢物的生态作用。例如，对Suberin形成的研究可以探索代谢途径的调节和不同潜在代谢终点之间的碳分配--做出关于改变植物新陈代谢以改善营养或增强抗病能力的明智决定所需的关键知识。Suberin是一种组织特异性的细胞壁修饰物，在发育过程中以及对伤害的反应中沉积，在保水和抵御病原体方面发挥着关键作用。利用化学、生化和代谢学的方法，我的研究小组已经确定了生物合成Suberin所独有的关键酶步骤。这项提议描述了我的意图，即分离和表征编码这些步骤的基因。虽然分子生物学工具对我的研究项目来说是新的，但它们的使用代表了我们研究Suberin生物合成方法的一个合乎逻辑的进步。

Plant secondary metabolites are compounds that mediate interactions between plants and their environment. My research program explores (1) pathways involved in secondary metabolism and (2) the ecological roles of secondary metabolites. For example the study of suberin formation allows exploration of the regulation of metabolic pathways and the partitioning of carbon between different potential metabolic endpoints - critical knowledge required to make informed decisions about modifying plant metabolism for improved nutrition or enhanced disease resistance. Suberin is a tissue-specific cell wall modification deposited in a developmental manner as well as in response to wounding and plays a critical role in water retention and protection against pathogens. Using chemical, biochemical and metabolomic approaches my research group has identified key enzymatic steps unique to the biosynthesis of suberin. This proposal describes my intent to isolate and characterize the genes encoding these steps. While molecular biology tools are new to my research program, their use represents a logical progression in our approach to study suberin biosynthesis.