Our reliance upon the wonderful diversity of plant life worldwide is manifested in many ways, whether as sources of foodstuffs, structural building materials and fibers, or intermediate, specialty, and medicinal chemicals for everyday use. Of particular importance is to understand how plants produce many of these valuable plant natural products and materials generated via intermediacy of highly reactive intermediates in their biochemical conversions, through so-called free radical chemistries. A key way in which these remarkable biochemistries evolved was recently identified, with the discovery of Dirigent Proteins (Latin, dirigere, to guide or align). In this way, plants produce not only some of nature's most important compounds, such as lignans for plant defense, but also others highly valued and widely used by humanity. In the project, how these remarkable proteins exercise and dictate control over the highly reactive free radical chemistries will be investigated. This requires technologies using the most advanced instrumentation worldwide to probe dirigent protein structures and mechanisms of action, including state-of-the-art nuclear magnetic resonance techniques. In this way, both their structure determinations and elucidation of how these proteins carry out these remarkable conversions will be enabled. It is generally accepted that the dirigent proteins have an unique biochemical mechanism, and it is now urgent to comprehensively unravel the underlying key details. Another emphasis will be to use the information gained to provide a new protein source, from cottonseed, able to satisfy food requirements for 8.5 million people daily through better understanding of these remarkable free radical chemistries in dirigent protein mediated conversions.
Broad impact Project activities are also deeply committed to helping solve societal challenges by providing the needed exposure of interested students at all stages of their development (high school, undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctorals), in order to inspire this upcoming generation (including various minority groups) to pursue a science career. The approach thus includes providing comprehensive and varied research experiences through internships and exposing them to different opportunities in the Life Sciences. In particular, emphasis will be given to exposure of students to the rapid technological developments that have occurred in science, which seamlessly link various disciplines ranging from plant sciences to computer science/bioinformatics. This will include their participation in inspirational research projects and one-on-one mentoring. Support to further the important role of science worldwide will be made in the form of presentations/workshops/lectures to high schools, various public gatherings, industry, science centers, federal and state delegations, as well as through international gatherings of many different types.
