Organic/CBS Seminar – Neetika, PhD Student

About the event

Speaker: Neetika

Group: Dr. ChulHee Kang

Title: Investigating the molecular interactions among Enzymes in Biosynthetic Pathways

Abstract

Sorghum bicolor is a versatile grass species cultivated for food, fodder, and biofuel production. Its resilience to environmental stress and abundance of secondary metabolites, such as monolignols and flavonoids, make it a valuable crop for sustainable development. Flavonoids are synthesized through a pathway adjacent to the monolignol biosynthesis pathway via the committed enzyme Chalcone Synthase (CHS). The enzymes involved in the monolignol and flavonoid pathways are hypothesized to form a dynamic, organized assembly known as metabolons, which are centered around a membrane-bound P450 enzyme. These metabolons are believed to improve catalytic efficiency by facilitating substrate channeling and improving metabolic flux. Our research aims to investigate the interactions among participating enzymes of these two pathways to understand carbon flow regulation better, providing essential tools for modifying plant composition and improving biomass quality and crop yields. This seminar will explore the recombinant DNA technology, X-ray diffraction, fluorescence resonance energy transfer, dynamic/static light scattering and isothermal titration calorimetry.