Project
Tomato Flavonoid Pathway
In this project we reconstruct the metabolic network of flavonol glycosidation. Flavonols are a type of flavonoid plant secondary metabolites, that are important for plant development. Recently there is increased interest in flavonols, because of their antioxidant capabilities.
As is the case for most flavonoids, flavonols occur in a glycosidated form, with one or more Sugar groups attached to the flavonols. Because many glycosyl transferases have a broad substrate specificity, it is not possible to predict their functioning in vivo. We therefore use a mathematical model to unravel the pathway of flavonol glycosidation.
We estimate the network topology and kinetic rates from data on tomato seedlings. The concentration of flavonol-glycosides in the seedlings was measured on 5 subsequent days. We fit an ODE model to the available data, and are able to elucidate the pathway leading to the identified flavonol-glycosides. Additionally, we investigate the reliability of the found parameter values, and study the dynamic behaviour of the pathway suggested by the data.
Cooperation with: V. Choserot, R. Hall, A. Bovy, H. Volpin (Keygene)