06-01-04

ISU RESEARCHERS STUDY CHEMICAL PROCESSES THAT GOVERN LIFE IN NEW METABOLOMICS LAB

AMES, Iowa -- A new $1.8 million research laboratory will catapult Iowa State University to the forefront of thescience of metabolomics.

The W.M. Keck Metabolomics Research Laboratory, already in operation and unlocking discoveries, will be dedicated at 2p.m., Thursday, June 3, in the atrium of the Molecular Biology Building.

The dedication is being held in conjunction with the Third International Congress on Plant Metabolomics hosted by IowaState, June 3-6.

Dedication speakers will be Benjamin Allen, vice president for academic affairs and provost; Stephen Howell, directorof the Plant Sciences Institute; Basil Nikolau, director of the Center for Designer Crops; and Ann Perera, a Ph.D.candidate and laboratory manager. Refreshments, laboratory tours and demonstrations will follow the briefprogram.

The laboratory is named in honor of the W. M. Keck Foundation, Los Angeles. In 2001, the foundation awarded a $1million grant for the laboratory to the Center for Designer Crops, a center of Iowa State's Plant Sciences Institute.The university provided $1.3 million, which included $800,000 for the laboratory and equipment, and $500,000 to hiretwo new faculty who are plant biochemists.

The W.M. Keck Metabolomics Research Laboratory is designed to provide biologists state-of-the-art analyticalcapabilities for deciphering the underlying molecular processes that determine how organisms grow and develop.

Metabolomics uses sophisticated analytical instruments to accurately measure, en masse, the biochemicals (metabolites)that make up an organism. Metabolites are the building blocks of all biological products, including those important toagriculture like oils and sugars. Metabolism--the complex network of chemical reactions that converts metabolites tofinal products--determines the organism's genetic blueprint (genome). Metabolomics has the potential of revealing howthe genome of an organism controls and regulates the metabolism that maintains biological form and function

The new laboratory is equipped with six instruments that allow scientists to analyze thousands of metabolites in orderto understand gene function more clearly.

"A detailed understanding of how genes function to regulate biological processes in plants and crops holds greatpromise for agriculture," Nikolau said. "Metabolomics research should lead to improvements in agricultural productionpractices that result in foods and animal feeds that have better nutritional quality and the development of crop-based,biorenewable sources of environmentally friendly industrial chemicals."

The grant from the W.M. Keck Foundation made it possible for Iowa State to purchase advanced instruments that had to becustomized to meet Iowa State's specifications, Nikolau said.

The laboratory is home to highly sophisticated separation and detection equipment that analyze a wide variety ofmetabolites. The instruments make it possible for researchers to conduct high-throughput microanalysis of metabolitesin plant tissues.

Research conducted in the laboratory already is revealing the secrets of how corn and soybeans make valuableagricultural products. Examples include the following.

• Alan Myers led an internationally recognized research team that discovered how starch is produced incorn kernels. Their discoveries revealed for the first time that genes previously thought to be unimportant in starchbiosynthesis are, in fact, an integral part of the biosynthetic process. Myers is professor and chair of biochemistry,biophysics and molecular biology.
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• Eve Wurtele's team discovered new phytochemicals in Echinacea (purple coneflower) plants. These phytochemicals maycontribute to the efficacy of Echinacea as a botanical supplement in boosting the human immune system. Wurtele is aprofessor of genetics, development and cell biology.
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• Nikolau's research team discovered new metabolic pathways important in establishing the outer barrier that plantsuse for protection from the environment. This barrier, called the cuticle, is important in the protection of crops fromdehydration during drought, and from invasion by fungal and bacterial pests.

"Thanks to the W.M. Keck Foundation, the laboratory will help establish Iowa State as a leader in basic research inplant and crop metabolomics," Nikolau said.

Based in Los Angeles, the W.M. Keck Foundation was established in 1954 by the late W.M. Keck, founder of the SuperiorOil Company. The Foundation's grant making is focused primarily on pioneering efforts in the area of medical research,science and engineering. More information is available at http://www.wmkeck.org.

The W.M. Keck Foundation grant was made through the ISU Foundation--a private, non-profit corporation dedicated tosecuring and stewarding gifts and grants that benefit Iowa State University.

The Plant Sciences Institute at Iowa State University is dedicated to becoming one of the world's leading plant scienceresearch institutes. More than 200 faculty from the College of Agriculture, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences,the College of Family and Consumer Sciences and the College of Engineering conduct research in nine centers of theinstitute. They seek fundamental knowledge about plant systems to help feed the growing world population, strengthenhuman health and nutrition, improve crop quality and yield, foster environmental sustainability and expand the uses ofplants for biobased products and bioenergy. The Plant Sciences Institute supports the training of students for excitingcareer opportunities, and promotes new technologies to aid in the economic development of agriculture and industrythroughout the state. The institute is supported through public and private funding.

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