Professor Janneke Balk

Group Leader Head of Department for Biochemistry and Metabolism, Iron homeostasis in plants Harnessing Biosynthesis for Sustainable Food and Health (HBio)

Janneke Balk started her independent research group at the University of Cambridge in 2005 and moved to the Norwich Research Park in 2011.

Her position is joint between the John Innes Centre and the University of East Anglia.

The Balk lab explores how plants balance the uptake of iron with cellular and developmental demands. They use genetic and biochemical approaches to study the function of proteins involved in iron cofactor biosynthesis, iron transport and in iron storage.

Iron is an essential element for virtually all life forms. Its redox properties make it a versatile catalyst in many different enzyme reactions. However, an excess of free iron inside the cell is toxic, therefore iron concentrations are tightly controlled by regulatory mechanisms.

These mechanisms operate at the cellular level and, in multicellular organisms, regulate the distribution of iron between different tissues and organs. For example, large amounts of iron are allocated to root nodules that house nitrogen-fixing Rhizobium bacteria in legumes or to specific tissues in developing seeds.

A better understanding of how plants manage iron could improve plant growth and it could also be exploited to increase the iron concentration in plant foods, known as biofortification.

Specific topics of interest are:

Selected Publications

See all of Professor Janneke Balk's publications

Opportunities

Enquiries for short-term placements, or Postgraduate and Postdoctoral opportunities are always welcome.

When required, the Balk lab will help to explore funding sources for fellowships and PhD studentships from the BBSRC, EU or other organisations.