Discovery of novel glycosyltranferases in plant cell wall biosynthesis

Plant cell wall polysaccharides biosynthesis requires a large number of glycosyltransferases. In a model plant, Arabidopsis thaliana, 450 genes are predicted as glycosyltransferases, but little is known for the biochemical function encoded by these genes. We are interested in identifying the genes encoding novel glycosyltransferase activity involved in plant polysaccharide biosynthesis. Currently, we focus on the biosynthesis of arabinogalactan and polysaccharides present in the secondary cell wall . The latter constitutes a ressource for bioethanol production. The project is ongoing in close collaboration with Dr. Henrik Scheller at the Joint Bioenergy Institute (JBEI), CA, USA, and funded by national (FTP,  Strategic Research Foundation)  and international (EU FP7 RENEWALL ) research grants.

 

External links 

Dr. Henrik Scheller’s group, JBEI, CA: http://www.jbei.org/feedstocks/cwb.shtml
EU FP7 RENEWALL: http://www.renewall.eu/