A5011817042- Plant biochemistry and biosynthesis
- Photosynthetic Processes and Mechanisms
- Microbial Natural Products and Biosynthesis
- RNA and protein synthesis mechanisms
- Genomics and Phylogenetic Studies
- Transgenic Plants and Applications
- Plant Gene Expression Analysis
- Food composition and properties
- Bacterial Genetics and Biotechnology
- Natural product bioactivities and synthesis
- Microbial Metabolites in Food Biotechnology
- Plant tissue culture and regeneration
- Enzyme Production and Characterization
- Cocoa and Sweet Potato Agronomy
- Bacteriophages and microbial interactions
John Innes Centre
2018-2025
Norwich Research Park
2021-2024
University of Cambridge
2015
The Chilean soapbark tree ( Quillaja saponaria ) produces soap-like molecules called QS saponins that are important vaccine adjuvants. These highly valuable compounds sourced by extraction from the bark, and their biosynthetic pathway is unknown. Here, we sequenced Q. genome. Through genome mining combinatorial expression in tobacco, identified 16 enzymes together enable production of advanced intermediates represent a bridgehead for adjuvant bioengineering. We further needed to make QS-7,...
Abstract QS-21 is a potent vaccine adjuvant currently sourced by extraction from the Chilean soapbark tree. It key component of human vaccines for shingles, malaria, coronavirus disease 2019 and others under development. The structure consists glycosylated triterpene scaffold coupled to complex 18-carbon acyl chain that critical immunostimulant activity. We previously identified early pathway steps needed make glycoside scaffold; however, biosynthetic route chain, which stimulation T cell...
Abstract Non-random gene organization in eukaryotes plays a significant role genome evolution. Here, we investigate the origin of biosynthetic cluster for production defence compounds oat—the avenacin cluster. We elucidate structure and organisation this 12-gene cluster, characterise last two missing pathway steps, reconstitute entire tobacco by transient expression. show that has formed de novo since divergence oats subtelomeric region lacks homology with other grasses, order is...
Plants produce diverse specialized metabolites with important ecological functions. It has recently become apparent that the genes for many of these pathways are not dispersed in plant genomes, but rather arranged like beads on a string biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs). Pathways encoded by BGCs as rule dedicated linear do form parts wider metabolic networks. In contrast, biosynthesis widely distributed more ancestral such carotenoids and anthocyanins clustered. Little is known about how...
Glycosylation of small molecules is critical for numerous biological processes in plants, including hormone homeostasis, neutralization xenobiotics, and synthesis storage specialized metabolites. plant natural products usually performed by uridine diphosphate-dependent glycosyltransferases (UGTs). Triterpene glycosides (saponins) are a large family that determine important agronomic traits such as disease resistance flavor have pharmaceutical applications. Most characterized product UGTs...
Plants produce an array of natural products with important ecological functions. These compounds are often decorated oligosaccharide groups that influence bioactivity, but the biosynthesis such sugar chains is not well understood. Triterpene glycosides (saponins) a large family plant determine agronomic traits, as exemplified by avenacins, antimicrobial defense produced oats. Avenacins have branched trisaccharide moiety consisting l-arabinose linked to 2 d-glucose molecules critical for...
Genes encoding toxin-antitoxin (TA) systems are near ubiquitous in bacterial genomes and they play key roles important aspects of physiology, including genomic stability, formation persister cells under antibiotic stress, resistance to phage infection. The CptIN locus from Eubacterium rectale is a member the recently-discovered Type III class TA systems, defined by protein toxin suppressed direct interaction with structured RNA antitoxin. Here, we present crystal structure protein-RNA...