Biosynthesis of dibenzofurans

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Ludger Beerhues
• Subject Area: Plant Biochemistry and Biophysics
• Term: from 2009 to 2023
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 161900567

Apple and pear are important fruit trees. Infections by fire blight and scab cause dramatic losses in yield. The phytoalexins of the fruit trees are biphenyls and dibenzofurans. The steps of biphenyl biosynthesis were elucidated at the enzyme and gene levels, whereas the formation of dibenzofurans is still obscure. The postulated pathway involves biphenyl 2'-hydroxylation and subsequent cyclization. These reactions will be studied biochemically using elicitor-treated tissue cultures and molecular genetically using comparative transcriptome analysis.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• Co-Investigator: Dr. Benye Liu