Research
Areas
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Research
Areas
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Genetics
of Plant Biochemistry
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FACULTY NAME |
RESEARCH DESCRIPTION |
| Christoph Benning | biosynthesis and function of membrane lipids in photosynthetic organisms |
| Dean Della Penna | genetics of cell wall synthesis and production of secondary metabolites |
| Gregg Howe | biochemical basis of plant defense responses |
| Robert Last | arabidopsis functional genomics; regulation of plant metabolic pathways for nutritionally important molecules; plant stress tolerance mechanisms; metabolic engineering of plants. |
| John Ohlrogge | genetic control of plant lipid metabolism |
| Robert Larkin | regulation of chlorophyll biosynthesis |
| Beronda Montgomery-Kaguri | biosynthesis and function of biliprotein photoreceptors in photosynthetic organisms |
| genetics and metabolic regulation of glycogen and starch synthesis | |
| Jonathan Walton | biochemical basis of fungal-plant interactions |
| Andreas Weber | genetic basis of intracellular transporters in plants |
Plants
produce thousands of compounds that are essential not only for their
own growth and development, but are also important for human nutrition,
medicine, and many commercially important processes. A complete understanding
of the biosynthesis and function of phytochemicals requires knowledge
of the genes encoding the underlying biosynthetic enzymes, as well as
proteins that regulate their action. Modern genetic technologies make
it possible to identify mutations in plant genes that control sequential
biochemical reactions. Such mutants are invaluable for dissecting the
number and order of steps in a given metabolic pathway, as well as the
physiological function of that pathway. 
The
genetics of plant biochemistry represents a research focus area within
the Genetics Program at MSU. Ongoing research in several laboratories
is aimed at elucidating the genetic basis of lipid metabolism, carbohydrate
metabolism, carotenoid biosynthesis, cell wall formation, and the biosynthesis
of compounds involved in plant defense. Major goals of this research
include the identification of regulatory genes that control the flux
of metabolites into specific biochemical pathways, and genetic manipulation
of these genes for increased production of products of the pathways.