1. Reconstruction of starch biosynthesis pathway in cassava
Reconstruction of metabolic pathway of starch biosynthesis which is of important for understanding the metabolic regulation is an initial step towards more comprehensive study on such a process. Here, we employ comparative genomic approach to build the metabolic network of cassava from available genome data of plant templates, including Arabidopsis thaliana, Castor Bean (Ricinus communis), Maize (Zea may), Potato (Solanum tuberosum), and Rice (Oryza sativa).
2. Genome-scale model of carbon metabolism in cassava
Starch yield is related to yields of the other products (such as lipid, protein, and cellulose). To increase yield of starch, carbon flux partitioning in cell is key information. Genome-scale modeling of carbon metabolism in cassava will be developed to monitor the flux distribution underlying the cassava biomass.
3. Towards cellular regulatory network of cassava starch biosynthesis
To gain more understanding about how a cellular process is regulated to express the cellular phenotype, a function of gene in a particular condition or plant tissues is always examined. However, the regulation of gene function in the metabolism and phenotypic responses is gone beyond the transcription regulation. The dynamic regulations as well as post-transcription, and post-translation are required to understand the cellular regulation relevant to cellular product biosynthesis. The cellular regulatory networks of interest include transcriptional regulatory network (TRN), post-transcriptional network (noncoding RNA network), and post-translational network (protein-protein interaction, PPI).
4. Metabolic network relationship between cassava and its pathogen - plant-microbe interaction
One of the most important problems for increasing the production rate of cassava is the way to protect cassava from its pathogen such as cassava brown streak virus (CBSV), cassava mosaic virus. The investigation of the metabolic network relationship between cassava and the pest will gain a better understanding for drug development against pathogenic diseases in cassava.