Project
Evolution of cannabinoid biosynthesis
Cannabis makes unique compounds that have intoxicating effects but can also be used as a medicine. This project aims to uncover how the enzymes making these compounds originated and evolved, to better understand how they work.
Background
Cannabis is of the most widely known and emotive plant crops due to its unique psychoactive phytochemicals named cannabinoids. Cannabinoids are responsible for the intoxicating effect of cannabis, but accumulating evidence shows that they also have important medicinal properties. The enzymes responsible for the synthesis of these cannabinoids and the genes encoding them have been recently identified. However, it is unclear how these enzymes originated and evolved, and how genetic differences affect their function.
Project description
This interdisciplinary project combines comparative genomics, phylogenetics, and in vitro enzyme experiments to help answer the fundamental question how cannabinoid biosynthesis originated and diversified. Ultimately, better knowledge of the evolution of cannabinoid synthases can help direct future development of novel cannabinoids or new medicinal cannabis cultivars for improved treatments.