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Research: PLANT-LIPID-BIOSYNTHESIS-MUTANTS Folding Project #15704

Project #15704 overview

Project Summary AI Beta

This project studies a plant gene (AtWRI1) that controls oil production. Scientists want to find even better versions of this gene to make plants grow more oil for biofuel. They use computer simulations to test different gene versions and speed up the process.
Automated summary; simplified and may not be fully accurate.

Project team

Manager(s)
Yuming Zhou
Institution
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Work unit

Atoms
73,672
Core
0x27
Status
Public
Source material

Official Project Description

AtWRI1 is a central transcriptional regulator of lipid biosynthesis in plants.

It acts as a key switch that drives fatty acid production and triacylglycerol accumulation by binding to the AW-box motif upstream of genes involved in late glycolysis and fatty acid synthesis.

Recent work has shown that the W74R mutation can enhance DNA binding and significantly increase oil content, motivating our goal of identifying even more effective mutants.

Although current plant molecular experiments are relatively accurate, they are often slower than comparable studies in animal or human systems.

To enable large-scale mutant screening in a more time-efficient manner, we use molecular dynamics simulations as a computational proxy for DNA-binding behavior associated with lipid production.

Ultimately, this project aims to guide the design of higher-yielding bioenergy crops, contributing to improved sustainability and energy security.