Research Interests
Research in our laboratory aims at understanding how plants synthesize and metabolize chemicals that are beneficial to human health, and at applying this knowledge to improve the nutritional value of plant-based foods. Our approach is integrative and combines genomics, genetics, enzymology, metabolic biochemistry, organic chemistry, cellular biology and metabolic engineering. We are especially interested in metabolic branches that involve multifunctional enzymes, metabolic channeling of biosynthetic intermediates, and enzymes that have evolved novel functions in plants. Our current research focuses on plant naphthoquinones.
Selected publications
Kim, H.U., van Oostende C., Basset, G. J., Browse, J. (2008) The AAE14 gene encodes the Arabidopsis o-succinylbenzoyl-CoA ligase that is essential for phylloquinone synthesis and photosystem-I function. The Plant Journal. 54, 272-283
Bozzo G.G., Basset G.J., Naponelli V., Noiriel A., Gregory J.F. 3rd, Hanson A.D. (2008) Characterization of the folate salvage enzyme p-aminobenzoylglutamate hydrolase in plants. Phytochemistry, 69, 29-37
Orsomando, G., Bozzo, G.G., D’az de la Garza, R., Basset, G.J.C., Quinlivan E. P., Naponelli, V., RŽbeillŽ, F., Ravanel, S., Gregory III, J. F., Hanson A. D. (2006) Evidence for folate salvage reactions in plants. The Plant Journal 46, 426-435
Sahr, T., Ravanel, S., Basset, G., Nichols, B.P., Hanson, A. D., RŽbeillŽ, F. (2006) Folate synthesis in plants: purification, kinetic properties, and inhibition of aminodeoxychorismate synthase. The Biochemical Journal 396, 157-162
Klaus, M.J.S., Kunji, E.R.S., Bozzo, G.G., Noiriel, A., D’az de la Garza, R., Basset, G.J.C., Ravanel, S., RŽbeillŽ, F., Gregory III, J.F., Hanson, A.D. (2005). Higher plant plastids and cyanobacteria have folate carriers related to those of trypanosomatids. Journal of Biological Chemistry 280, 38457-38463
Basset, G.J.C., Quinlivan, E.P., Gregory III, J.F., Hanson, A.D. (2005). Folate synthesis and metabolism in plants, and prospects for biofortification. (Review). Crop Science 45, 449-453
Basset, G.J.C., Ravanel, S., Quinlivan, E.P., White, R., Giovannoni, J.J., RŽbeillŽ, F., Nichols, B.P., Shinozaki, K., Seki, M., Gregory III, J.F., Hanson, A.D. (2004). Folate Synthesis in Plants: The Last Step of the p-Aminobenzoate Branch is Catalyzed by a Plastidial Aminodeoxychorismate Lyase. The Plant Journal 40, 453-461
D’az de la Garza, R., Quinlivan, E.P., Klaus, M.J.S., Basset, G.J.C., Gregory III, J.F., Hanson, A.D. (2004). Folate Biofortification in Tomatoes by Engineering the Pteridine Branch of Folates Synthesis. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA 101, 13720-13725
Basset, G.J.C., Quinlivan, E.P., Ravanel, S., RŽbeillŽ, F., Nichols, B.P., Shinozaki, K., Seki, M., Adams-Philips, L.C., Giovannoni, J.J., Gregory III, J.F., Hanson, A.D. (2004). Folate synthesis in plants: The p-aminobenzoate branch is initiated by a bifunctional PabA-PabB protein that is targeted to plastids. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA 101, 1496-1501
Quinlivan, E.P., Roje, S., Basset, G., Shachar-Hill, Y., Gregory III, J.F., Hanson, A.D. (2003) The folate precursor p-aminobenzoate is reversibly converted to its glucose ester in the plant cytosol. Journal of Biological Chemistry 278, 20731-20737
Basset, G., Quinlivan, E.P., Ziemak, M. J., D’az de la Garza, R., Fischer, M., Schiffmann, S., Bacher, A., Gregory III, J.F., Hanson, A.D. (2002) Folate synthesis in plants: The first step of the pterin branch is mediated by a unique bimodular GTP cyclohydrolase I. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA 99, 12489-12494
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