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 Seeds synthesize three major storage reserves, proteins, complex carbohydrates and triacylglycerols (oil). In oilseed crops, such as canola and sunflower, the oil is the most valuable component of the harvested seed and a relative increase in oil content is highly desirable. However, gains through conventional breeding are slow and increasingly difficult to attain, so new methodologies are needed. In high yielding oil crops, modifications to lipid biosynthesis that create oil profiles ideal for particular food or industrial uses would add additional value to those crops.
Major crop plants also produce an extensive array of secondary metabolites. Some of these compounds are of potential value but accumulate at sub-optimal levels because of either low metabolic rates for relevant pathways, feedback inhibition, or shunting reactions that divert metabolism to the production of less desirable derivatives. Examples of such compounds include antioxidants and vitamins such as tocopherols (vitamin E), ubiquinone and carotenoids (vitamin A). Other crop secondary metabolites are undesirable anti-feedants. For example, phytate is a seed phosphate storage compound that renders phosphate inaccessible to animal absorption, necessitating phosphate supplements in animal feeds and causing environmental phosphate pollution by animal waste. Sinapine has a bitter flavour that causes poor palatability by livestock and fish.
To investigate the large arrays of genes that influence seed composition and address the potential for its improvement, we will employ a common set of methods for functional genomics and proteomics. Experts in various fields of metabolism and genetics will then exploit the data collected to elucidate the economically important aspect of seed metabolism. The knowledge gained will be used to develop novel methods to produce seeds with compositions tailored to specific applications and hence of increased value.
This project includes the following research areas: carbon partitioning, lipids, carbohydrates, proteins, endogenous secondary metabolites and novel biosynthetic pathways.
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