Title:Isoprenoids: Biosynthesis and Biomedical Applications

Presenter: Prof. LIU Pinghua

University: Department of Chemistry, Boston University

Time: 10:00-11:00, October 14, 2011

Venue: A203, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Abstract: Isoprenoids are one of the largest and most structurally diverse groups of metabolites in nature. To date, there are more than 50,000 known isoprenoids, which represent 25 – 30% of known natural products. There are two different pathways for the biosynthesis of isoprenoid precursors, IPP and DMAPP: (1) the DXP pathway in green algae, the chloroplasts of higher plants, and most eubacteria; (2) the mevalonic acid (MVA) pathway in animals, fungi, and archaebacteria. By focusing on isoprenoid biosynthesis, in the last few years, we have developed four directions in order to develop new anti-malaria therapies: A) production of artemisinin through metabolic engineering; B) developing mechanism-based inhibitors as new anti-malaria drugs; C) Building natural product libraries and screen for new anti-malaria drugs; 4) Developing new chemical genetics tools and their applications in malaria vaccine development. Our progress in these areas will be presented.