Synthetic biology and modeling of aromatic amino acid production in photosynthetic organisms
Interdisciplinary Areas: | Engineering and Healthcare/Medicine/Biology |
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Project Description
Plants and cyanobacteria are being developed as 'green' hosts for the production of aromatic amino acids. These compounds are valuable components of food, feed and precursors of pharmaceuticals. The current source of the molecules is plants or engineered microbes. This research collaboration will study the shikimate pathway which is responsible for the conversion of photosynthetic sugars into aromatic amino acids. To enhance the rates and yields of products, we are mathematically modeling the pathway kinetics based upon in vivo dynamic isotopic labeling data. In addition to modeling, the postdoctoral fellow would experimentally characterize several key enzymatic activities. Selected targets from the kinetic model simulations will be engineered into cyanobacteria using the latest synthetic biology tools.
Start Date
May 2020
Postdoc Qualifications
Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering, Bioengineering or Biochemistry Experience with mathematical modeling of reaction networks. Background in statistical analysis of -omic data sets such as RNAseq and proteomics. Experience with extraction, purification, and quantification of metabolites, enzymes from plants or microbes. Cloning of recombinant genes in cyanobacteria or plants. Excellent oral and written communication skills.
Co-advisors
John Morgan
Professor, Davidson School of Chemical Engineering
Department of Biochemistry by courtesy
jamorgan@purdue.edu
https://web.ics.purdue.edu/~jamorgan/bio.htm
Distinguished Professor Natalia Dudareva
Department of Biochemistry
dudareva@purdue.edu
https://ag.purdue.edu/biochem/Pages/profile.aspx?strAlias=doudarev&intDirDeptID=9
References
Completion of the cytosolic post-chorismate phenylalanine biosynthetic pathway in plants (2019)
Y Qian, JH Lynch, L Guo, D Rhodes, JA Morgan, N Dudareva
Nature communications 10, 15.
Dynamic modeling of subcellular phenylpropanoid metabolism in Arabidopsis lignifying cells (2018)
L Guo, P Wang, R Jaini, N Dudareva, C Chapple, JA Morgan
Metabolic Engineering 49, 36-46.
Glycogen synthesis and metabolite overflow contribute to energy balancing in cyanobacteria (2018)
M Cano, SC Holland, J Artier, RL Burnap, M Ghirardi, JA Morgan, J Yu Cell Reports 23, 667-672.
Multifaceted plant responses to circumvent Phe hyperaccumulation by downregulation of flux through the shikimate pathway and by vacuolar Phe sequestration (2017)
Lynch, J.H., Orlova, I., Zhao, C., Guo, L., Jaini, R., Maeda, H., Akhtar, T., Cruz-Lebron J., Rhodes, D., Morgan, J.A., Pilot, G., Pichersky, E., Dudareva N.
The Plant Journal 92(5):939-950.
Emission of volatile organic compounds from petunia flowers is facilitated by an ABC transporter. (2017)
Adebesin, F., Widhalm, J.R., Boachon, B., Lefevre, F. , Pierman, B., Lynch, J.H., Alam, I.. Junqueira, B., Benke, R., Ray, S., Porter, J.A., Yanagisawa, M., Wetzstein, H.Y., Morgan, J.A., Boutry, M., Schuurink, R.C., Dudareva, N.
Science 356(6345):1386-1388.