Integrated Calendar

The regulation of metabolic pathways in plants is constantly tuned in order to suit the needs of development and fitness. Our main research objective is to unravel networks of genes and proteins which coordinate the activity of metabolic pathways, predominantly secondary metabolism, during plant development and stress response. An integrated investigation of several members of the Solanacea family rather than studying a single plant, provided us with unprecedented insights to metabolic biology in these species. Most if not all processes characterized, impact to a certain degree key quality, nutritional and post-harvest traits of these crop plants. Integrating cutting-edge transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics tools together with genes co-expression assays were of great value in making several key discoveries. In a recent example, combined co-expression analysis and metabolic profiling in tomato and potato led to the discovery of the multi-step, core pathway leading to the formation of the renowned Solanum alkaloids including the biosynthesis of their precursor, cholesterol. This class of molecules represent important anti-nutritional compounds in these crop plants. In the presentation, I will highlight several advanced technologies and genetic research tools and the invaluable knowledge on core metabolic traits obtained through combining them in a single study.

Aristolochic acid (AA) is now recognized as a causative agent of several types of human cancer. Moreover, as a component of Aristolochia, a widely used medicinal herb, it is now clear that people have been exposed to toxic levels of AA for hundreds of years, worldwide. Today, tens of millions of people are at risk of developing AA-induced cancers of the upper urothelium, kidney, liver and biliary tract. In addition, aristolochic acid was proven to be the environmental agent responsible for Balkan endemic nephropathy and its associated urothelial cancer. And, exposure to AA accounts for the high prevalence of upper urothelial cancer in Taiwan, the highest in the world. It has also been shown that AA-induced cancers are accompanied by a unique mutational signature, which can be used to identify AA-induced cancers in individuals who would otherwise be undiagnosed until the later stages of disease. Such analyses have established the foundation for a noninvasive approach for detection of urothelial cancer in patients at risk.