Vi arbejder på dynamisk samling af biosyntetiske enzymkomplekser, også kaldet metaboloner, til fremstilling af naturstoffer. Planter producerer et enormt antal bioaktive forbindelser, der potentielt kan anvendes som lægemidler, farvestoffer og smagsstoffer. På trods af naturstoffers kemiske diversitet involverer deres biosyntese en meget modulær samling af specifikke enzymklasser såsom oxidoreduktaser, cytochrom P450 og transferaser. Samling af metaboloner letter direkte overførsel af substrater og mellemprodukter mellem sekventielle enzymer, hvilket resulterer i øget flux uden samtidig frigivelse af toksiske eller labile mellemprodukter. Vi er interesserede i at forstå, hvordan planter efter behov samler metaboloner som respons på miljømæssige udfordringer.

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Forskningstemaer

  • Structural organization
    We are studying the structural organization of metabolons and their different configurations. We are interested in general mechanisms regulating the assembly of metabolons such as scaffolding proteins, protein-protein interactions and the local membrane environment.
  • Dynamic assembly
    We are uncovering the dynamics of metabolon assembly at the single molecule level. The diffusion of individual enzymes and entire metabolons provides kinetic insight on the assembly and disassembly. In the process, we are developing new platforms for studying protein-protein interactions, membrane sorting and binding of soluble enzymes.
  • Functional consequences
    We apply our findings to study the functional consequences of enzyme engineering and lipid composition on substrate channeling using in vivo and in vitro systems. As part of this research topic we are optimizing biomimetic membrane systems for studying multienzyme complexes.
For students wishing to work within these topics,. M.Sc. and B.Sc. projects are currently available. Please contact tola@plen.ku.dk

Forskningsprojekter

  • Plant metabolon discovery, isolation and molecular characterization for optimizing metabolic highways, Novo Nordisk Foundation (PI: Tomas Laursen)
  • Directing plant metabolism towards formation of high value bioactive products, Sapere Aude Starting Grant, Independent Research Fund Denmark (PI: Tomas Laursen)
  • Optimization of specialized plant metabolite production, Novo Scholarship Programme (PI: Ketil Mathiasen Viborg)

Gruppemedlemmer

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    Partnere og netværk

    Our research group take an interdisciplinary basic science approach to elucidate fundamental mechanisms governing the plasticity of the biosynthesis of phytochemicals, which is well positioned between multiple groups at the Section for Plant biochemistry working on pathway discovery and heterologous production, including:
    • Biochemical engineering (Sotirios Kampranis)
    • Cyanogenic glucosides, Vanilin and Carmine (Birger Lindberg Møller)
    • Diterpenoids (Birger Lindberg Møller and Irini Pateraki)
    • Triterpenoids (Søren Bak)

    Our basic science approach will benefit from collaboration with additional internal groups with expertise in plant physiology and metabolomics, including:
    • Ecophysiology plasticity (Elisabeth Heather Neilson)
    • Metabolic plasticity (Nanna Bjarnholt)

    We have established collaboration with world leading external experts, which provide access to state-of-the-art technologies and knowledge, including:
    • Cryo Electron Microscopy (Bjørn Panyella Pedersen, Aarhus University, DK)
    • Native Mass Spectrometry (Jonathan T. Hopper and Carol Robinson, Oxford University, UK)
    • Neutron Reflectometry (Marité Cardenas, Malmö University, SE)
    • SMALP technology (Timothy Dafforn, University of Birmingham, UK)
    • Single Molecule Microscopy (Jay T. Groves, UC-Berkeley, USA and Nikos Hatzakis, University of Copenhagen, DK)
    • Computational modeling (Flemming Jørgensen, University of Copenhagen, DK)