Contents: General biosynthetic pathways leading to plant secondary metabolites, e.g. terpenoid pathways, polyketide pathway, phenylpropanoid pathway. Methods in biosynthetic pathway mapping. Biosynthesis of terpenoid indole alkaloids. Biosynthesis of isoquinoline alkaloids. Role and regulation plant secondary metabolism. Metabolic engineering.
Coordinator
Prof.dr.R.Verpoorte; verpoort@chem.leidenuniv.nl
Methods of instruction
In five days the students will have a series of lectures, and a number of problems that they will discuss in small groups, and eventually present the solution to the whole group. The problems and a short introduction to the course is given as handout. At the end they have to design an experiment with precursor-feeding to prove a certain given pathway.
Examination
written examination
Course requirements/recommendations
This course is open for students in biology, bio-pharmaceutical sciences, chemistry LST and biotechnology.
Application
application form available from www.studiegidsen.leidenuniv.nl > Wiskunde en Natuurwetenschappen > Biologie > Forms > Mastercourses
Course objective
To make the student familiar with the great diversity of (plant) secondary metabolites, by showing the biosynthetic relationship between different compounds. To learn what methods are used for biosynthetic pathway mapping. Teaching the student to plan experiments for biosynthetic pathway mapping by developing a retrobiosynthetic hypothesis. The student should be able to recognize what pathway is involved in the biosynthesis of a given structure. Example: recognize that a molecule is build up from polyketide units, or phenylpropanoid units. The student should be able to predict possible new structures derived from a given intermediate. Example: predict the various skeletons, which can be formed in the terpenoid indole alkaloid biosynthesis or isoquinoline alkaloids. Plan an experiment to proof a certain biosynthetic pathway. Example: design an experiment with labeled precursors to determine along which pathway (mevalonate or MEP) a terpenoid is formed.