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PLNT-316:
PLANT
SPECIALIZED
METABOLISM
Specifications:
Credit weight: 3
Pre-requisites: AEBI-210 (Organisms I); LSCI-211 (Biochemistry)
Recommended: LSCI-202 (Molecular Cell Biology); LSCI 204 (Genetics)
Online enrollment: Open to U2+ students; exceptions can be made by instructor
Lectures: Weekly; Wednesday 2:30-5:30; Location TBA
Textbook (recommended): Medicinal Natural Products; A Biosynthetic Approach – Paul Dewick (ISBN: 978-1-119-96457-5); E-Book format available
Office hours: TBA; starting from 2nd week of lectures.
Course Objectives:
Students will be introduced to the basic principles of plant biochemistry in the context of cell biology, genetics, and synthetic biology. Plants function as autotrophs by absorbing energy from light to assimilate carbon dioxide and produce complex organic structures. We will focus on the class of plant metabolism termed specialized metabolism.
In this course, students will explore how simple compounds, such as sugars and amino acids, are transformed into complex natural products, including a) phenylpropanoids, b) terpenoids, and c) alkaloids. We will investigate the conserved and varying features of chemical pathways within an evolutionary framework – recurring motifs, such as hydroxylation and O/N-methylation, driven by gene duplication and enzyme neo-functionalization. Students will be exposed to a large conceptual toolkit to answer plant biochemistry and biotechnology questions. We will consider varied plants and chemical pathways, from plant estrogens (phyto-estrogens) to peyote.
AEBI - 210:
|
AEBI 210 Organisms 1 - 3 Credits
Biology (Agric & Envir Sc): The biology of plants and plant-based systems in managed and natural terrestrial environments. The interactions between autotrophs and soil organisms and selected groups of animals with close ecological and evolutionary connections with plants (e.g., herbivores and pollinators) will be explored in lecture and laboratory. |