Department of Metabolic Biology Research Areas

Plant Primary Metabolism

Project Leaders:
Alison Smith, Trevor Wang, Claire Domoney

Research concerns the major food reserves of plants, in particular starch, sugars and proteins.

We aim to understand how plants acquire and utilise these reserves during their growth and how their amounts and properties can be optimised in crop plants for human and animal nutrition and for industrial purposes.

Plant Natural Products

Project Leaders:
Anne Osbourn, Cathie Martin, Trevor Wang, Stan Kopriva, Paul O’Maille

Research concerns the vast diversity of natural products (chemicals) made by plants. A conservative estimate is that the plant kingdom makes half a million different natural products.

We aim to understand how these products are made in the plants, and the evolution of chemical diversity in the plant kingdom. Many plant products have valuable properties, for example in human health and nutrition, in disease prevention and cure and as industrial raw materials. Our research contributes directly to the successful exploitation of natural products in these respects.

Plant Nutrient Acquisition and Utilisation

Project Leaders:
Stan Kopriva, Trevor Wang

Research concerns the uptake of nutrients by plant roots from the soil, and the utilisation of these nutrients for plant growth.

We aim to understand in particular the uptake and utilisation of sulphur and – with colleagues in other departments – the acquisition of nitrogen in legumes via symbiotic associations with soil bacteria. This research contributes towards the development of crop plants that require less fertilizer for healthy growth.