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Department of Biochemistry

 
Paul Dupree

Plant cell wall synthesis and function.

 

Plant cells change their cell wall dramatically during growth and differentiation. The Dupree Group is focused on understanding the biosynthesis and function of polysaccharide components of the plant cell wall. Despite these polysaccharides being some of the most abundant on Earth, and them having enormous nutritional, agricultural, and industrial importance, surprisingly little is known about the genes and enzymes that carry out their synthesis. The polysaccharides are synthesised by an amazing variety of enzymes in the Golgi apparatus. Crucial players in polysaccharide synthesis are sugar nucleotide transporters and glycosyltransferases in the Golgi lumen.

The major focus of our research is the biosynthesis of xylans and glucomannans in different plant species. We are studying the function of Golgi biosynthetic proteins using functional genomics. To identify candidate genes we use a combination of bioinformatic and proteomic approaches. By studying the composition of the extracellular matrix and the structural changes in specific polysaccharide components of mutant Arabidopsis plants, we are bit by bit deciphering the role of the individual proteins. Biochemical assays allow us to investigate the activities of these proteins, complementing our understanding of gene function.

 

Research objectives

  • How are xylan, glucomannan and cellulose synthesised by plants?

  • What is the function of arabinogalactan proteins?

  • How does the structure of the polysaccharides influence the functional properties in the cell wall?

  • How are cell wall polysaccharides degraded by microbes?

  • Which plant cell wall polysaccharides are the best dietary fibres?

 

Key publications

Yu L, Yoshimi Y, Cresswell R, Wightman R, Lyczakowski JJ, Wilson LFL, Ishida K, Stott K, Yu X, Charalambous S, Wurman-Rodrich J, Terrett OM, Brown SP, Dupree R, Temple H, Krogh KBRM, Dupree P (2022). Eudicot primary cell wall glucomannan is related in synthesis, structure, and function to xyloglucan. Plant Cell, 34(11):4600-4622. doi: 10.1093/plcell/koac238

Temple H, Phyo P, Yang W, Lyczakowski JJ, Echevarría-Poza A, Yakunin I, Parra-Rojas JP, Terrett OM, Saez-Aguayo S, Dupree R, Orellana A, Hong M, Dupree P (2022). Golgi-localized putative S-adenosyl methionine transporters required for plant cell wall polysaccharide methylation. Nature Plants, 8(6):656-669. doi: 10.1038/s41477-022-01156-4

Feijao C, Morreel K, Anders N, Tryfona T, Busse-Wicher M, Kotake T, Boerjan W, Dupree P (2022). Hydroxycinnamic acid-modified xylan side chains and their cross-linking products in rice cell walls are reduced in the Xylosyl arabinosyl substitution of xylan 1 mutant. Plant Journal, 109(5):1152-1167. doi: 10.1111/tpj.15620

Terrett OM, Lyczakowski JJ, Yu L, Iuga D, Franks WT, Brown SP, Dupree R, Dupree P (2019). Molecular architecture of softwood revealed by solid-state NMR. Nature Communications, 10(1):4978. doi: 10.1038/s41467-019-12979-9

Contact details

Research Group Leader  Paul Dupree

Email  pd101@cam.ac.uk

Location  Hopkins Building

Opportunities

The Dupree Group is accepting enquiries from prospective interns, undergraduate students, postgraduate students and postdoctoral researchers.