Christa Kanstrup - New PhD student at DynaMo
Christa Kanstrup commenced a PhD project on “Elucidating structure-function relationships in the Nitrate and Peptide transporter family” in the DynaMo Center 1 January 2019.
The new DynaMo PhD student Christa Kanstrup has already been connected to the center for more than a year doing her MSc projects here.
The aim of Christa Kanstrups PhD project is to increase our understanding of how proton coupled plant specialized metabolite transporters from the NPF family function at the mechanistic level. Christa will generate new knowledge on the molecular determinants of substrate specificity, proton coupling and transport rate using the glucosinolate transporters as a model system. Christa will work on developing new high-throughput screening systems for the study of the structure-function of the NPF family of transporters.
Christa Kanstrup graduated from the MSc Biology-Biotechnology Program at the University of Copenhagen in September 2018.
In her MSc project, Christa focused on biochemical characterization of an identified gain-of-function glucosinolate transporter using the Xenopus oocyte expression system and electrophysiology. She took important steps towards developing a screening system for high-throughput transporter characterization using human HEK cells and membrane potential sensitive dyes. Moreover, Christa investigated whether such hyperactive transporters can be used to increase accumulation of specialized metabolites in sink tissue.
Christas PhD supervisor is DynaMo partner Associate Professor Hussam Nour-Eldin.