eliot herman, ph.d. member
eherman@danforthcenter.org
Te primary focus of research in my laboratory is to understand how seeds form and regulate constituents that specify composition. In its basic science mode my program is directed at understanding how the cellular components function to assemble the myriad components of seed cells using the nutrient source from the plant to accumulate a sink of protein, oil and carbohydrate in seeds that is the basis of a majority of the world’s agriculture. From an applied perspective this information creates the opportunity to remodel the composition of seeds to (1) develop new varieties that do not contain allergens and other anti-nutritional proteins; (2) to optimize seed composition for specific end uses such as in aqua- culture: and (3) to optimize seeds to be production platforms to produce industrial products such as enzymes.
Te primary focus of research in my laboratory is to understand how seeds form and regulate constituents that specify composition. In its basic science mode my program is directed at understanding how the cellular components function to assemble the myriad components of seed cells using the nutrient source from the plant to accumulate a sink of protein, oil and carbohydrate in seeds that is the basis of a majority of the world’s agriculture. From an applied perspective this information creates the opportunity to remodel the composition of seeds to (1) devel- op new varieties that do not contain allergens and other anti-nutritional proteins; (2) to optimize seed composition for specific end uses such as in aquaculture: and (3) to optimize seeds to be production platforms to produce industrial products such as enzymes.
Agrius Bioforms llc is the first biotechnology spin-off from the Danforth Center. Te goal of this spin-off is to develop seeds, such as soybeans, as protein biofactories to inexpensively produce industrial enzymes and other biologics using the efficiency of agricultural production. Using a new approach developed by Drs. Monica Schmidt and Eliot Herman where the suppression of endogenous seed proteins results in the seed remodeling its protein composition to maintain normal protein content at the same time as producing high levels of an introduced lucrative protein. By structuring foreign genes encoding valuable products such industrial enzymes to mimic the genes of proteins that compensate for absent storage proteins enhanced production of the enzymes is obtained. At levels of protein production currently achieved it will be economi- cally viable to produce industrial enzymes and biologics in seeds.
Other current lab projects include the development of soybeans optimized for aquaculture feed and to develop Camelina a weedy
recent publications: Herman EM and Schmidt MA (2010) Industrial Protein Production Crops - New Needs and New Opportunities. GM Crops, (in press). (cover article)
Miernyk JA, Johnston ML, Antoine W, Mooney BP, Herman EM (2010) A directed-proteomics platform for systems analysis of soybean seed development. Te Open Systems Biology Journal 3: (in press).
Kristin Bilyeu, Chengwei Ren, Henry T. Nguyen, Eliot Herman, and David A. Sleper Association of a Four-Basepair Insertion in the P34 Gene with the Low- Allergen Trait in Soybean Plant Genome. (2009) 2:141-148
Herman, EM (2009) Biotechnology could combine positive traits in seed-based fish feed. Global Aquaculture Advocate Sept/Oct 2009 issue pp 88-90.
Herman EM (2009) Soybean Food and Feed Allergy. In Modification of Seed page 10 2009 scientific report the donald danforth plant science center
Announcement event of formation of Agrius Bioforms LLC as a partnership between the Danforth Center and Geosynfuels on June 12, 2009. Left to right, Dr. Roger Beachy, Dr. Eliot Herman, Mr. Joshua Sroge, and Senator Kit Bond. Te goal of Agrius is develop technology to produce industrial enzymes in seeds as a cost effective solution to meet the increasing demand by the biofuels and other industries.
crop related to Canola as a new protein production crop for Missouri. Camelina can be grown as a winter crop double-cropping farmland and creating an alternative to the use of food crops and food growing season to produce industrial materials when the land will otherwise be unused.
lab members: Monica Schmidt, Ph.D. / Oleksandr Moskalenko, Ph.D. / Marina Kalyaeva, Ph.D. / Halima Stringer (summer intern) / Colin Clune / Wenze Li, Ph.D. / Melanie Kessler-Mathieu, Ph.D. / Kira Veley, Ph.D.
Composition to Promote Health and Nutrition (Krishnan, H.B., Ed.), ASA- CSSA-SSSA Publishing, Madison, WI.
Herman, E. M. and Schmidt, M.A. (2009) Improved protein storage in plants (provisional patent filing, US and International)
Schmidt MA, and Herman EM (2008) Proteome rebalancing in soybean seeds can be exploited to enhance foreign protein accumulation. Plant Biotech J 6: 832- 842
Schmidt MA and Herman EM (2008) Suppression of soybean oleosin produces micro-oil bodies that aggregate into oil body/ER complexes. Molec Plant 1:910- 924.
Herman EM (2008) Endoplasmic reticulum bodies: Solving the insoluble. Curr. Opinion in Plant Biology. 11:672-679.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36