Sam Mugford

I am investigating the mechanisms of acylation of natural products in plants, focussing on the acylation of oat root triterpenoid glycosides in collaboration with Dr. Rebecca Goss’ laboratory (School of Chemical Science and Pharmacy, University of East Anglia).

I am also looking at the biological consequences of this process. In addition I am investigating the possible role of plant natural products in competitive interactions between plants.

The availability of the oat mutant collection in the Osbourn lab provides a unique opportunity to study allelopathy.

I am generally interested in exotic areas of plant metabolism, and have previously worked on alkaloid, and poly-unsaturated fatty acid metabolism; mineral nutrition and heavy-metal tolerance; and plant defence responses.

Funding

BBSRC grant no. BB/E009912/1.