Departmental Research

Research in the Department of Biochemistry addresses fundamental problems in the biochemical aspects of cell physiology. Our research focuses on basic problems in biochemistry and cell biology with an overall goal of contributing to an understanding of human disease and the advancement of modern agriculture. Research interests are diverse and range from plant development to signal transduction. One emphasis in the department is the analysis of the structure and function of proteins, DNA and RNA, and many of our laboratories are poised to contribute to the new and rapidly evolving area of proteomics. Several research programs employ model organisms that permit powerful genetic and biochemical analyses of cellular function. The plant, Arabidopsis thaliana, is being used to study development and secondary metabolism whereas the budding yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisae, provides an excellent system to study heterochromation formation and to probe the role of protein phosphorylation in controlling cell division . Our dedicated graduate students and postdoctoral fellows carry out much of the research in our labs and we are committed to providing an excellent environment for their scientific training. Funding for our research comes from government agencies such as the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Department of Energy and from private groups including the American Heart Association, American Cancer Society, Walther Cancer Institute, and the Pew Charitable Trust. A more detailed description of faculty research can be obtained through our faculty listings.

The exciting work of one faculty member is highlighted below to illustrate the relevance of our research to agriculture and human health problems. 

Dr. Clint Chapple studies phenylpropanoid metabolism in the small flowering plant, Arabidopsis thaliana. Certain phenylpropanoids are used to produce lignin, which forms the rigid cell walls that contributes to the rigidity of plants. By altering their phenylpropanoid pathways, Dr. Chapple's group has generated plants containing higher levels of an easily degradable lignin. These findings have tremendous implications for the pulp and paper industry because trees with higher levels of an easily degraded lignin could yield more pulp and other paper products with lower costs, less energy input, and without harmful chemicals. Livestock may more easily digest feed products derived from crops containing this modified lignin.