Improving plant cell walls for use as a renewable industrial feedstock

Partners

University of Cambridge (UCAM DBIO) (P9)

Paul Dupree

Despite the fact that the plant cell wall forms one of the largest biomasses on Earth and is an important component of food for the world's
population, many fundamental aspects of its structure and function, and the enzymes responsible for its synthesis are still largely a mystery. In addition, the complex polysaccharides produced by plants are utilized around the globe in countless commercial and industrial processes from the textile industry, agriculture, building materials, paper products and more. Our research involves using biochemical and microbiological techniques in conjunction with mass spectrometry based technologies   to study the structure, synthesis, and trafficking pathways of the wall of plant cells.
Our mass spectrometry / proteomics research is conducted in close collaboration with Dr. Kathryn Lilley and the Cambridge Centre for Proteomics.

Tasks in the consortium

Contributing to the characterization of polysaccharide structures and quantities in WP 1 using methodologies developed in Cambridge; Proteomic analysis of cellulose synthase activities and complexes in WP 2; Discovery of glycosyltransferases and other polysaccharide modifying enzymes by proteomics in WP 3; contribution to reverse genetics and enzyme assays in WP 3.

Contributors:
Paul Dupree
Dr Jenny Mortimer
Dr Nadine Anders
Marcelo Segura

Web: http://www.bio.cam.ac.uk/~dupree/