Organic/CBS Seminar

About the event

Speaker:  Neetika

Group:  Dr. ChulHee Kang

Title:  Structural and functional modeling of Sorghum bicolor Flavonol Synthase (FLS) and 4-Coumarate:CoA Ligase (4CL).

Abstract:

Sorghum bicolor is a grass species cultivated primarily for its grain and used for food, fodder, and biofuel production. The use of biomass in sustainable development emphasizes the importance of understanding raw material composition, particularly lignin content. Using enzyme engineering to optimize the plant properties for biomass utilization will play an essential role in this endeavor and requires an in-depth understanding of the structure-function relationships within biosynthesis enzymes. Plant 4-coumarate: CoA ligase (4CL) is the central enzyme in the monolignol pathway that provides precursors for various metabolites and regulates carbon flow in the flavonoid pathway. Flavonoids are essential secondary metabolites serving diverse functions such as pigmentation, UV protection, and pathogen defense in plants, while exhibiting anticancer and antitumor properties in humans. This research focuses on elucidating the structure-function relationships of 4CL in the monolignol pathway and Flavanol synthase (FLS) in the flavonoid pathway from the Sorghum bicolor. By leveraging this fundamental understanding of enzyme structure-function relationships, we aim to pave the way for efficient manipulation of both monolignol and flavonoid biosynthesis pathways for sustainable biomass utilization and advanced bioengineered applications.