Areas of specialty:
- Biochemistry of triacylglycerol biosynthesis
- Structure and function of membrane bound acyltransferases
- Genetically modifying the physical properties of seed oils for industrial and biofuel applications
My laboratory uses modern biochemical and genomic approaches to better understand the synthesis of triacylglycerols in seeds. In particular, we are characterizing a novel acyltransferase named EaDAcT (Euonymus alatus diacylglycerol acetyltransferase) isolated from the Burning Bush (Euonymus alatus).
We are currently focusing on a group of three very closely related plant MBOATs that acylate very different types of lipids.
Research: Biochemistry & Molecular Biophysics – Studies how different enzymes recognize the specific compounds that they modify
Expertise: Biochemistry & Molecular Biophysics – Studies the mechanism controlling substrate specificity in membrane-bound acyltransferases.
