Climate-associated functional polymorphisms of terpene synthases (C01)

• Subject Area: Plant Biochemistry and Biophysics ; Biochemistry ; Bioinformatics and Theoretical Biology ; Biophysics ; Evolution and Systematics of Plants and Fungi ; Plant Genetics and Genomics ; Plant Physiology ; Structural Biology ; Plant Cell and Developmental Biology ; Cell Biology
• Term: since 2024
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 514901783

C01 focuses on the biosynthesis of terpenes, vital defense compounds against various stressors in plants. Terpene synthases, responsible for terpene production, harbor ambient temperature SNPs, identified through envGWAS analysis within SNPstar. This project employs a sophisticated high-throughput expression and screening system for terpene synthases, assessing functional transitions induced by nsSNPs in the Arabidopsis gene pool. Additionally, directed evolution approaches will be applied to delve into the role of specific amino acid residues, contributing to designing terpene synthases with diverse functionalities.

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres
• Subproject of: SFB 1664: Plant Proteoform Diversity - SNP2Prot
• Applicant Institution: Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg
• Project Heads: Professor Dr. Jörg Degenhardt; Professor Dr. Martin Weissenborn