Plant Metabolic Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
.jpg)
Prof. Emeritus & Queen's Research Chair in Plant Biochemistry
Dept. of Biology
Biosciences Complex
Queen's University
Kingston, Ontario, Canada. K7L 3N6
Phone: 613-533-6150
plaxton@queensu.ca
The Plaxton lab is committed to advancing scientific knowledge through research and education. We strive to ensure a world-class research environment that is open, inclusive, and welcoming to all.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Our research is focused on understanding the organization and control of plant carbohydrate metabolism and the biochemical adaptations of phosphate-starved plants. This work integrates a variety of biochemical, proteomic, molecular biology, cell biology, and genomic tools to characterize the molecular and functional properties, and protein:protein interactions of key enzyme proteins. We are particularly interested in post-translational enzyme modification by phosphorylation, monoubiquitination, and glycosylation since these PTMs can play pivotal roles in regulating an enzyme's activity, subcellular location, protein:protein interactions &/or turnover in response to various extra- or intracellular signals.
As an external referee for Plaxton's recent NSERC Discovery Grant Application wrote: "Between measures of transcript and protein abundance lies a wasteland of missing information that is essential to tell us how plant metabolism is regulated".
Systems that we have been studying include developing and germinating castor oilseeds, and suspension cell cultures and seedlings of the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. We have also collaborated with Prof. Pascale Champagne (Civil Engineering, Queen's) and her team on novel, sustainable approaches to green algae-derived 'carbon-neutral' biofuels production and recovery. This research will provide a range of benefits to Canada: including promoting the development of the renewable energy sector and reducing GHG emissions.
Our overall research has significant long-term applications to problems in Canadian agriculture and ecosystems including the: (1) targeted modification of storage oil versus protein levels in oilseeds such as canola or soybean, (2) optimizing plant-based conversion of atmospheric CO2 into renewable energy sources such as biodiesel and ethanol, and (3) development of phosphorus-efficient crops, urgently needed to reduce mankind’s rampant but inefficient use of non-renewable, unsustainable, and polluting phosphate fertilizers; as sci-fi author Isaac Asimov wrote: "Life can multiply until all the phosphorus is gone and then there is an inexorable halt which nothing can prevent".
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DECEMBER 2023 Plax-lab CHRISTMAS PARTY/DINNER
Funding of our research by NSERC & Queen's Research Chairs Program is gratefully acknowledged!
We are particularly thankful for the recent (April 2024) & generous 5 year renewal of Plaxton's NSERC Discovery Grant "Mechanisms & Functions of Post-translational Enzyme Modifications in Plant Metabolism", as well as NSERC Evaluation Group "Biological Systems & Functions" and x4 External Referees who reviewed the application.