Pathway Engineering in Plants symposium announcement

[cjh14]

Plant Protein Club 1999 Annual Symposium

Pathway Engineering in Plants
Fundamental research and industrial applications

York, UK
23 - 27 August 1999


Organising Committee
Dianna Bowles, Jürgen Denecke, Richard Dixon, T.J. Higgins, Cathie
Martin, Debra Mohnen, Toni Slabas, Alison Smith

The Plant Protein Club's 1999 symposium will highlight the study and
manipulation of plant metabolic pathways and will draw on fundamental
research and industrial applications.

Although metabolic pathways have been studied for many years by
traditional biochemical methods, recent advances in functional genomics
and molecular genetics have resulted in re-examination of classical
pathways and a greater understanding of pathway control enabling the
potential for pathway engineering. Genetic transformation of plants has
enabled modification of pathways in a highly specific manner which would
otherwise have been impossible or difficult by traditional breeding
methods. 

The importance of this technology to industry is considerable,
particularly in the discovery of novel products and in improving
existing products from sustainable sources. It has significant
applications in the pharmaceutical industry - a quarter of all
prescribed drugs are derived from plants - and manipulation of a plant's
metabolism could lead to improved compounds and a source of novel
therapeutics. Other applications include paper, textiles and materials,
fragrances, pigments and other plant metabolites. Benefits to the
agriculture and food industries include improved disease and pest
resistance, superior food processing; enhanced nutritional values; and
improved flavours and yields.

Call for Papers

The organising committee invite interested participants to offer papers
on the Symposium themes and related topics for oral presentation and
posters. Papers will be selected from submitted abstracts.

Symposium Sessions

The symposium will provide an opportunity to present recent advances in
pathway engineering in plants to discuss the implications and potential
applications. Activities will be organised in terms of specific product
areas.

Carbohydrates
Invited speakers: Debra Mohnen (University of Georgia, USA), Alison
Smith (John Innes Centre, UK), J.S. Grant Reid (University of Stirling,
UK)

Oils
Invited speakers: Toni Slabas (University of Durham, UK), Sean Coughlan
(DuPont), Ian Graham (University of York, UK), Toni Voelker (Monsanto)

Proteins
Invited speakers: T.J. Higgins (CSIRO, Australia), Andrew Hanson
(University of Florida, USA), Jürgen Denecke (University of Leeds, UK),
Alessandro Vitale (Istituto Biosintesi Vegetali, Italy)

Secondary Metabolism
Invited speakers: Nick Kruger (University of Oxford, UK), Cathie Martin
(John Innes Centre, UK), R.A. Dixon (Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation,
USA), Vincenzo de Luca (Novartis, USA), Clint Chapple (Purdue
University, USA)

The Plant Protein Club
The Plant Protein Club is a pre-competitive science and technology club
with membership drawn from industry, academia and government. It aims to
stimulate efficient progress in the fundamental understanding, use and
manipulation of native and recombinant proteins to meet the needs of
industry. This includes exploring plant proteins as novel products, as
well as the use of plants as sustainable factories supporting industries
across the pharmaceutical, health care, biotechnology, industrial
enzymes and food sectors. The Plant Protein Club's principal objective
is to promote the exchange of ideas and expertise between communities
specialising in protein structure, plant biology and their industrial
applications.

Further details from:
Plant Protein Club, University of York, PO Box 373, York YO10 5YW, UK
Tel/Fax: +44 (0)1904 434327, Email: ppc at york.ac.uk, WWW site:
http://www.york.ac.uk/org/ppc/