John C. Walker, Director, Interdisciplinary Plant GroupBioenergy Summit, April 17, 2009

From Plants to the Pump

ipg.missouri.edu

Biofuels

Ethanol Biodiesel

Missouri: Ethanol fr. Corn

• National rank in corn production: 9th

• Operating ethanol plants: 6 

• Annual ethanol production: 275 million

• Percentage of all gasoline sales blended with ethanol: 70%

--Source: www.mocorn.org

Missouri: Soy Biodiesel

• National rank in soybean production: 7th

• “Home” of soy biodiesel

• Operating soy biodiesel plants: 4 

• Annual soy biodiesel production: 90 million

--Sources: National Biodiesel Board, MSMC, NASS

Interdisciplinary Plant Group

• Biochemistry• Bioinformatics• Cell & Molecular Biology• Development• Ecology & Evolution• Environmental Interactions• Genetics & Plant Breeding• Genomics and Proteomics• Plant Pathology & Physiology

Thelen Lab

Biochemistry

Genomics and Proteomics

Plant Physiology

seed fillingembryogenesis maturation

development

soybean

canola

castor

starchprotein

oil

Using advanced proteomics to

show how plant cells regulate

oil:protein balance.

Sharp Lab

Environmental Interactions

Genomics and Proteomics

Plant Physiology

Genetic diversity in soybean under drought stress

Genetic diversity and

increased root proliferation

are associated with greater water uptake

from drying soil.

cv 1 cv 2

Nguyen Lab

Environmental Interactions

Genomics and Proteomics

Genetics & Plant Breeding

Genetic mapping and engineering for total oil and oleic acid content

• Metabolite profiling to understand oil composition and accumulation in soybeans

• Genetic factors regulating fatty acid synthesis and total oil content

Oil Improvement

High seed oil content + high oleic acid = better “biodiesel”

Genetics

Plant Breeding

Sleper and Shannon Labs

Nu

mb

er

of

line

s

Oil %

9.3 10.0 10.7 11.4 12.1 12.8 13.5 14.2 14.9 15.6 16.3 17.0 17.7 18.2

Parent 2 Parent 1

Oil content distribution in 250 F7-RILs

9

22

30

3840

35

23 2426

18

95

118

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

21-2

5

26-3

0

31-3

5

36-4

0

41-4

5

46-5

0

51-5

5

56-6

0

61-6

5

66-7

0

71-7

5

76-8

0

81-8

586

-

Oleic acid (%)

Nu

mb

er

of

lin

es

Oil Quality

Environmental Interactions

Plant Physiology

New Crops for Bioenergy

Fritschi Lab

Sweet Sorghum as a Potential Biofuel Crop

Environmental Interactions

Plant Physiology

New Crops for Bioenergy

Blevins Lab

NAD-ME

Pearl millet

Amaranth

Bermuda grass

Switch grass

Buffalo grass

Plant Metabolic Pathways

NADP-ME

Big bluestem

Indian grass

Little bluestem

Crab grass

Corn

Sorghum

Sugar cane

PEP-CK

Guinea grass

Rhode grass

Side oats grama

Hydroponically Grown Pearl Millet and Purple Amaranth

(μM Mn)

100 5025 10075 100 5025 10075

Biotechnology for Bioenergy

Birchler Lab

Smallest mini-B chromosome

Red: TransgeneGreen: B repeat

“Minichromosomes”

Targeting B chromosomes

• Minichromosomes can serve as a platform for multiple transgenes.

• An extra chromosome would allow plants to be used as a factory for the production of multiple foreign proteins.

• Minichromosomes could also be used to add/modify whole biochemical pathways to plants.

Plant Transformation Facility

Biotechnology for Bioenergy

Zhang Lab

Pipeline for Biofuel Research at Plant Transformation Facility

Developing efficient

transformation systems for biofuel crops

Rationale designs for

regulation of lignin

biosynthetic pathway

Transforming biofuel crops

with transgenes for

enhancing biofuel

production

Molecular and phenotypic analysis of transgenic

biofuel crops

Phase 1

Phase 2

Phase 3

Phase 4

Corn/Switchgrass/Poplar

Analysis of biofuel

production efficiency

Phase 5

Biotechnology for Bioenergy

Oliver Lab, USDA-ARS

Switchgrass and Transgenes:Need for Total Gene containment

Desired trait+

Blocked Floral Inhibitor

Activator Line

Vegetative Growth OnlyIncreased biomass + gene containment

(Cre

dit:

Ste

phen

Aus

mus

)

Pho

to: A

nna

Gar

dner

Active Floral Inhibitor

Plant Sciences @ MU