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Unraveling plant TERPENOID diversity for improved crops and bioproducts |
OUR RESEARCH VISION |
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Learning from nature's ingenuity. Plants produce a staggering diversity of specialized ('secondary') metabolites to survive and thrive in a constantly changing environment for life spans of up to hundreds of years. Terpenoids are the largest and most diverse class of specialized metabolites with essential functions in plant growth, chemical defense, and ecological adaptation. Many terpenoids are also of economic value as pharmaceuticals, flavors, fragrances, biofuels, and other bioproducts of everyday modern life. To decode the biosynthesis, diversity, and biological functions of terpenoid metabolic networks in food, bioenergy and medicinal plants, we integrate genomics-enabled pathway discovery, metabolomics, protein biochemistry, structural biology, bioactivity, and genetic approaches. Through collaborative work, we utilize these insights to develop resources for improving crop traits and advance terpenoid production through protein and pathway engineering.
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Our team is recruiting a talented and motivated postdoc with specific focus on the discovery, structure-function analysis, and protein engineering of terpenoid-metabolic enzymes. If you are interested to work with us, please contact Philipp Zerbe ([email protected]).
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videos about our research
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Our Research partners
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