New UNT research center uncovers secrets of plants

From cooking oil to motor oil, products from plant extracts improve the quality of agriculture and the quality of life.

Through the new UNT Center for Plant Lipid Research, UNT scientists are using biochemical and molecular genetic approaches to understand plant metabolic processes.
The center also provides training opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students in biology, biochemistry and molecular biology.

In studying basic cellular functions of plants, the scientists are uncovering the secrets of plant lipids — a diverse group of small molecules that do not dissolve in water.

Kent Chapman, professor of biochemistry, is the new center's director. He says the research goal is to better understand how metabolic pathways operate in plants.

"The more we understand how plants make and modify lipids, the more we can derive knowledge to improve agricultural products, enhance human health, find bio-based substitutes for petroleum products and develop custom-made materials for industry," he says.

Lipid research resulted in the creation of vitamin-enhanced crops such as golden rice — a staple crop in Asia and Africa, Chapman says.

"Plant lipids also provide a rich source of materials to supplement or replace petroleum products, such as additives for diesel fuels and motor oil as well as materials used for surfaces from kitchen counters to car dashboards," he says.

Center scientists are seeking to understand how lipids influence the growth and development of plants and to contribute to the discovery of new products and uses for lipids.

One recent discovery made by UNT scientists was the identification and function of an obscure group of lipids in plants called N-acylethanolamines (NAEs), a lipid component of all multi-cellular organisms.

Chapman and research associate Swati Tripathy were the first researchers to show that plants have warning signals derived from NAE lipids to protect them. These communication signals go into action to activate plant defenses, including the blocking of enzymes that could cause the plant to wilt and die.

This discovery and work by graduate student Shea Austin-Brown led to a patent for a plant lipid supplement that preserves the freshness of cut flowers and may delay the ripening of fruit.

Chapman says that NAE lipids have a number of potential therapeutic applications, including immune system regulation, treatment for neuronal and behavioral disorders, and natural anesthetics.

"Since the human body uses these NAEs as regulators of normal immune and nervous system functions, plants and plant-derived products may represent a natural source of NAEs for treating a variety of disorders," he says.

A recent publication by Chapman and co-workers, Identification and Quantification of Neuroactive N-Acylethanolamines in Cottonseed Processing Fractions, describes how NAE lipids from the oilseed refining industry could impact the nervous system.

Sponsored by the National Institutes of Health's National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine Program, this research may someday lead to development of new painkillers from plentiful, renewable agricultural resources.

Chapman; Guenter Gross, biological sciences professor and director of the Center for Network Neuroscience; and Barney Venables, associate professor of biological sciences and science director of TRAC Laboratories in Denton, lead a team aimed at identifying natural sources of analgesic, neuroactive NAEs.

Chapman has also received continuing research support from the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Research Initiative Competitive Grant Program for his work on the regulation of NAE metabolism in seeds.

For more information about UNT's Center for Plant Lipid Research, contact Chapman at (940) 565-2301.

BY CATHY CASHIO ccashio@unt.edu

Other featured articles in this issue

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• Academy wins federal funds
• Gift creates UNT euphonium endowment
• Equity, diversity workshop set
• Staff Council discusses insurance changes
• UNT performance of oratorio set for Jan. 29
• UNT to present films from eight countries during series
• Markley accepted into Leadership Texas
• 'Star man' fronts musically diverse band Crawfish

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