Plant Specialized Metabolism

As organic chemists par excellence, plants produce an amazing array of diverse metabolites and the unique natural products (also called specialized metabolites) are essential for plant fitness and survival. Our research focuses on plant specialized metabolites with the goal to gain understanding of pathway orchestration, transport processes from site of synthesis to storage and the role of specialized metabolites in the communication and interaction with other organisms in the surroundings. As model compounds we use the glucosinolates that function as defense compounds, signaling cues as well as nutritional factors. The gained knowledge is applied in pathway and transport engineering to increase plant disease resistance, remove anti-nutritional compounds in e.g. seed meal, and to promote human health.

Professor Barbara Ann Halkier is coordinator of the DynaMo center in collaboration with the partners in, which we seek to understand the dynamics of molecular processes that enable a plant to coordinate growth and survival in the ever-changing environment, using glucosinolates in Arabidopsis as model system.

 

Glucosinolate transporters

Beneficial plant-microbe interactions, Novo Nordisk Distinguished Investigator project

Plant Transportomics, Villum investigator project

Engineering of glucoraphanin

 

 

The projects listed below are suggestions. You are welcome to contact Barbara Ann Halkier and discuss the possibilities of designing another project.

  • CRISPR/Cas9 technology to develop plant-based protein for human consumption
  • Transporter engineering to prevent toxins in seeds using Crispr technology
  • Decoding of the chemical language of plants
  • Synthetic biology to engineer the production of health-promoting bioactives in microbial cell factories in industrial biotechnology
  • Beneficial microbiome(s) towards the future of sustainable agriculture
  • Application of advanced synthetic biology to build an efficient yeast cell factory producing health-promoting glucosinolates

Contact Barbara Ann Halkier for further info on the projects bah@plen.ku.dk

 

 

Laura Dethier, Postdoc
Christos Theodorou, Postdoc
Kwadwo Gyapong Agyenim-Boateng 
Shiwen Yang, PhD student
Fangfei Niu, PhD student
Jakob Skytte Thorsen, PhD student
Freya Stühlmeyer, PhD student

 

 

NNF - Plant Science, Agriculture and Food Biotechnology project grant 1 Feb 2025 - 31 Jan. 2028. (3,4 mill. DKR). Rescue of rapeseed from specialist insect pests by blocking emission
of volatile attractants: Breaking Brassica dependence on pesticides

Pioneer Innovator grant, Novo Nordisk Foundation 1 Aug. 2025 - 31 July 2026 (1,1 Mill. DKR)

Distinguished Investigator, Novo Nordisk Foundation: February 2021 - October 2027 (10 mill. DKR)

Villum Investigator, Velux Foundation: July 2021 - 31 December 2027 (30 mill. DKR)