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UID:26@csb.utoronto.ca
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20251121T110000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20251121T120000
DTSTAMP:20251113T211905Z
URL:https://csb.utoronto.ca/events/csb-seminar-mehran-dastmalchi-phd-depar
 tment-of-biological-sciences-university-of-toronto-scarborough/
SUMMARY:CSB Seminar: Mehran Dastmalchi\, PhD - Department of Biological Sci
 ences\, University of Toronto\, Scarborough
DESCRIPTION:CSB Departmental Seminar\nFriday\, November 21st @ 11:00 am\nSP
 EAKER: Department of Biological Sciences\, University of Toronto\, Scarbor
 ough\nTITLE: An odd mutant phenotype yields “parts” for synthetic biol
 ogy\nABSTRACT: Catharanthus roseus (Madagascar periwinkle) is a medicinal 
 plant that produces an abundance of monoterpenoid indole alkaloids (MIAs)\
 , notably the anticancer compounds vinblastine and vincristine. While the 
 canonical pathway is resolved at the enzymatic level\, the mechanisms cont
 rolling many lateral branches of MIA biosynthesis\, as well as their trans
 port\, remain largely unknown. Here\, we describe an EMS-generated mutant 
 of C. roseus\, which accumulates high levels of MIAs\, including akuammici
 ne\, a promising analgesic compound. In addition to its unique chemical pr
 ofile\, we observed a striking lesion-mimic mutant (LMM) phenotype. My tal
 k will encompass morphological and multi-omic analyses to pinpoint the cau
 sal mutation and to describe the cascade of cellular and metabolic events 
 leading to this phenotype. We also draw upon this mutant for new leads on 
 the biosynthesis\, regulation\, and transport of MIAs\, which has led to o
 ur recent characterization of CrMATE1\, a vacuolar secologanin uptake tran
 sporter. Finally\, these plant competencies are deployed in a synthetic bi
 ology context to improve the titers of medicinal MIAs. From core to specia
 lized metabolism—there are a lot of untapped molecular and biochemical n
 uances that we seek to explore.\n\nHOST: Stephen Bordeleau\nLOCATION: Cel
 l and Systems Biology\, 25 Harbord Street\, Suite 432\nLIVESTREAM LINK: h
 ttps://csb.utoronto.ca/live-stream/
CATEGORIES:seminar
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