Final Exam – Jacob Lewis

About the event

Speaker: Jacob Lewis

Group: Kang

Title: Characterization of Flavonoid Enzymes in Grasses

Abstract: Sorghum and switchgrass are widely cultivated cereal crops that have been identified as a focus for both feedstock and bioenergy due to their resilience to large temperature changes, water need, and high concentrations of secondary metabolites. One of these secondary metabolites is a group of phytochemicals called flavonoids, characterized by their C(6)-C(3)-C(6) structure. Flavonoids are adjacent to the monolignol pathway and divert biomass from lignin via the committed enzyme Chalcone Synthase. The enzymes of the flavonoid pathway are hypothesized to form a metabolon around a membrane bound P450 enzyme dependent on metabolic needs and species. A detailed understanding of the structural, enzymatic, and metabolon formation of flavonoids in grasses could enable structural tailoring of the pathway to benefit feedstock and biofuel. High-resolution crystallographic structures, enzymatic analysis, and protein-protein interactions are presented in this thesis to aid in the elucidation of fundamental knowledge to be utilized for future engineering.