How do sunflowers make protein drugs in their seeds? We recently discovered in sunflower the origin of a small protein ring that chemists have used for a decade to base designed drugs upon. This project aims to know how sunflowers make it so we may manipulate other plants to manufacture ring-based drugs.
How scissors learn to glue: the catalysis of ligation by proteases. This project proposes to study protein-cutting enzymes from plants that are drawn into biosyntheses where they paradoxically perform protein-joining (ligation) reactions. Enzymes are everywhere, from detergents to digestion to detoxifying drugs. Industry uses artificial evolution to improve enzymes or create enzymes with new activities. By exploring the changes that allowed one such cutting enzyme to ligate, the knowledge acquir ....How scissors learn to glue: the catalysis of ligation by proteases. This project proposes to study protein-cutting enzymes from plants that are drawn into biosyntheses where they paradoxically perform protein-joining (ligation) reactions. Enzymes are everywhere, from detergents to digestion to detoxifying drugs. Industry uses artificial evolution to improve enzymes or create enzymes with new activities. By exploring the changes that allowed one such cutting enzyme to ligate, the knowledge acquired may enable protein engineering to develop designer enzymes with enhanced or suppressed ligating ability. Although protein evolution can be studied with artificial systems, natural systems are extremely valuable. Insights from studying this natural evolution of ligation may test hypotheses developed with data from artificial evolution.Read moreRead less
Understanding the evolution of fungicide resistance for durable control of fungal pathogens in pyrethrum. The pyrethrum plant is grown for the extraction of natural insecticidal pyrethrins used in a variety of pest control products. Australia supplies 60 per cent of the global market for natural pyrethrins. Fungal pathogens of pyrethrum can cause severe losses. This project will investigate fungicide resistance in these pathogens at the molecular level.