Brief Summary of Minutes of Annual Meeting

The 2026 NC-1203 meeting was held as a hybrid in-person and Zoom meeting on August14-16, 2026, at the University of Nevada-Reno in Reno, Nevada (hosted by Dylan Kosma). Presentations of research progress and future directions were presented by the participants throughout the society meeting. Overall future research directions and writing of the annual report during Fall 2026 were discussed. Future meeting sites: In 2027 the meeting will be held in conjunction with the Plant Lipids Gordon Research Conference in Oxnard, CA on Wednesday, January 27, 2027 with more than half of the NC-1203 members planning to attend.  Philip Bates will host the 2027 business meeting.  The 2028 meeting will be held at the University of Missouri and will be hosted by Jay Thelen.

Research Activities and outputs:

Objective 1: Improve and extend methods for lipid characterization and measurement

The Gates lab recently purchased a micro-Isothermal Calorimetry instrument for quantifying protein-protein interactions based upon thermal dynamics.  Koo and Thelen labs have been using this instrument to characterize lipase interactions as well as the interactions among the various effector proteins of the heteromeric ACCase.

The Lee group improved imprinting technique by developing pneumatic press that can precisely control the application pressure (Hapuarachchige, et al., 2026). This technique significantly improved the resolution and reproducibility in mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) of small metabolites in plant leaves. A new workflow is also developed that can improve unknown metabolite annotations in MSI by combining on-tissue chemical derivatization (OTCD) with hydrogen deuterium exchange (HDX). Functional group filtering was performed using SMARTS search and HDX counting, dramatically reducing the potential annotations from ~7.3 per unique feature to ~2.4 in application to maize root sections (Uhlmansiek et al. 2025).

The Kosma Lab developed a GC-MS-based method for a complete characterization of external (pollenkitt) and internal lipid content using a small amount of pollen (~4-5 mg). This method was employed to quantify field-site specific differences in the pollen lipidome of Pacific lupine (Lupinus lepidus), an important source of nutrition for native bumblebee (Bombus spp.). The Kosma Lab further developed a method for analyzing the cuticular lipid composition of bumblebees demonstrating that fatty alcohols, which have been largely ignored, are a substantial component of bumblebee cuticles. A proposal on understanding the pollen nutritional landscape of plant species used in post wildfire restoration efforts was submitted to NIFA’s AFRI program. The Kosma Lab received a President’s Catalyst Award from UNR to develop a seed mixture with a pollen lipid nutritional aimed at supporting native bee populations in post-fire restoration efforts.

The Thelen lab has developed a multiplexed AQUA-MRM, LC-MS/MS assay for absolute quantitation of Arabidopsis acetyl-CoA carboxylase catalytic and effector proteins and demonstrated the utility of this approach to study the spatiotemporal regulation of this multienzyme complex that catalyzes the committed step of de novo fatty acid synthesis (manuscript submitted).  This assay has been used to characterize ACCase mutant lines in collaboration with the Bates lab.  The Thelen lab is also close to validating an AQUA-MRM assay to obtain absolute values for each plastid enzyme involved in de novo fatty acid synthesis, from acetate to 18:1 fatty acid.  This is a total of 25 enzymes and proteins in this multiplexed assay.  We are currently deploying this assay to understand the stoichiometry of the enzymes involved in this pathway to identify future targets for metabolic engineering in collaboration with Cahoon and Durrett labs. 

The Welti lab is working with the Plant and Algal Lipid Interest Group of the International Lipidomics Society toward standardizing lipidomics results and creating reference mixtures. The Interest Goup members have begun a multi-stage ring trial, in which they are analyzing the same samples. They are currently working to develop a consensus approach to obtaining and employing response factors to standardize the analysis of plant galactolipid species.

Objective 2: Identify lipid-related mechanisms to increase agricultural resilience

Genetic changes due to breeding or bioengineering can lead to unexpected metabolic adaptations that may create bottlenecks to the desired metabolic accumulation. Understanding these metabolic adaptations is the first step in developing metabolism based rational engineering or breeding approaches. Since activity of the biotin carboxylase subunit (BC) of acetyl-CoA carboxylase by effectors regulates fatty acid synthesis, the Yokom group published the cryo-EM structures of the dimer and a kissing dimer of dimers of BC from pennycress.

The Van Doren group published the structure of an asymmetric dimer of dimers of BC from pennycress, in collaboration with the Yokom and Pasa-Tolic (PNNL) groups.  This was based on crosslinks detected by mass spectrometry and the dimer structure from cryo-EM. Based on structural bioinformatics methods, the Van Doren group also published  (i) structural and dynamic similarities of the pennycress BC dimer to BC dimers from multiple bacteria and (ii) conserved functional surfaces on BC, including not only the catalytic cleft but also the asymmetric interface of tetramerization. The Van Doren and Pasa-Tolic groups launched crosslinking mass spectrometry probing of BC interactions with its BADC1 regulatory subunit.

The Bates, Durrett, and Parchuri labs collaborated to characterize novel functionalities of key enzymes of oil biosynthesis DGAT1 and DGAT2 in a wide range of oil accumulating plants including Camelina sativa, pennycress, cotton, peanut, tung tree, castor. These were compared to two mammals and two microbes to understand selectivity of oil synthesizing enzymes across the tree of life. The results indicate never before recognized diversity in substrate selectivity for the sn-1,2 and sn-2,3 enantiomers of diacylglycerol the precursor to triacylglycerol. These results imply that different species may use a variety of mechanisms in producing the final oil composition including triacylglycerol remodeling, and thus future bioengineering strategies to control oil composition will likely need to be crop specific (Parchuri et. al. 2026)

The Koo lab is investigating how the lipid-derived hormone jasmonate (JA) signals to promote stress tolerance.  The team identified a novel chemical inhibitor that targets the JA pathway and suppresses various wound responses. The molecular target of this compound was determined to be DEFECTIVE IN ANTHER DEHISCENCE 1 (DAD1) and related phospholipases involved in JA biosynthesis. In collaboration with Allen lab, an enzymatic assay demonstrated direct interference with the lipase activity of DAD1 in a cell free in vitro system (Mahmud et al., under review).   

The Wang Lab investigated the role of membrane phospholipid remodeling in rapeseed and camelina response to phosphate deficiency, The results show that the phosphate starvation induced phospholipase C, NPC4, promotes not only membrane lipid remodeling, but also P remobilization from old, senescent, source tissues to young, growing, sink tissues under P deficiency (Li et al., 2025). Manipulations of the pathway have potential to enhance crop plant growth and seed production, particularly under P-deficient conditions (Yang et al., 2025).

The Roston lab made progress in understanding freezing-activated galactolipid remodeler SFR2 as a reporter to uncover how plants gauge cold severity, employing yeast two hybrid analysis to identify yet another kinase potentially involved that was not previously associated with cold tolerance. Current data support a kinase/phosphatase pathway that modulates membrane repair in proportion to stress intensity. A future collaboration is planned with the Thelen lab to investigate the role of the kinases more broadly. In sorghum, time-bounded multi-omics found that while some cold responses to acclimation are conserved, many metabolite shifts are line-specific; photosynthetic readouts were reproducible only when measured within ~3 h of treatment, revealing strong time-of-day constraints, and lipid results were different between two tolerant lines. These findings motivated an updated model—daily temperature cycles synchronize lipid and soluble-metabolite programs essential for tolerance—which the Roston lab is now testing in collaboration with other labs in Nebraska and Frank Harmon of USDA. 

The Louis Lab, in collaboration with the Cahoon and Welti Labs, recently identified a key role for triacylglycerols (TAGs), whose major constituents are fatty acids, in sorghum defense against the sugarcane aphid (SCA; Melanaphis sacchari). To investigate this, we employed electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) to compare lipid profile alterations in SCA-resistant (SC265) and SCA-susceptible (SC1345) sorghum genotypes before and after aphid feeding. Our preliminary analyses revealed that sorghum lines differing in resistance also exhibit distinct lipid signatures. Notably, SCA feeding caused significant changes in TAG accumulation. While basal TAG levels were higher in the susceptible SC1345 line, seven days of SCA feeding led to a sharp reduction in several molecular species of TAGs in this genotype. In contrast, the resistant SC265 line maintained relatively stable TAG profiles under infestation. These findings suggest that TAG metabolism, and possibly TAG-derived metabolites, play a critical role in sorghum defense against SCA. Ongoing work, in collaboration with the Cahoon Lab at UNL, is focused on elucidating the specific mechanisms underlying this TAG-mediated defense.

The Hoffmann-Benning lab completed the generation of optogenetically controlled plant lines, in which gene expression of flowering locus T-CFP(positive control) and PLAFP-RFP (experimental gene) can be induced by exposing a single leaf to red light, while the remaining plant in white light remains repressed. The functionality of the system was tested and in both sets of plants gene expression was induced by red light and repressed in blue light, white light, and the dark. Upon exposure of a single leaf to red light, gene expression of the respective genes can be observed using Confocal microscopy as well as RT-PCR. In addition, non-induced leaves show confocal signals after 2-4 hours, suggesting that protein and/or mRNA are phloem mobile. Similarily, roots show a fluorescent signal as well. Samples of distal leaves and roots have been collected and are currently tested for the presence of mRNA. These data will be combined in a publication to be submitted in 2027.

The Schrick lab is continuing Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations of lysophospholipid binding to the steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR)-related lipid transfer (START) domain from homeodomain leucine-zipper (HD-Zip) IV transcription factor PDF2. These studies follow experimental data showing that PDF2 recruits lysophosphatidylcholine 18:1 in vivo and in vitro. The MD simulations address both lipid and membrane binding activities of the START domain and suggest that membrane contact occurs through key arginine residues in predicted loops on the periphery of the binding pocket.  Investigation of adaptor protein interactions with another HD-Zip IV member, ATML1, identified a transcriptional repression complex that regulates glucosinolate production in sepals (Apprill et al. 2026). In HD-Zip IV member GLABRA2 (GL2), the TOPLESS (TPL) and TPL-RELATED (TPR) corepressors were shown to bind the transcription factor directly through its own EAR motif (Ahmad et al., 2026).

The Huang Lab is studying the role of the lipid droplets during plant-microbe interactions of important fungal diseases of soybean, tomato and strawberry. The group screened Plant-derived lipid biosynthesis inhibitors and identified a batch of inhibitors, including flavonoids, phthalides, fatty acids, and terpenes, that exhibited antimicrobial or toxin-suppressing effects. The tested fungal pathogens include Cercospora fungi, Cercospora kikuchii, C. cf. flagellaris, and C. sojina, which cause Cercospora Leaf Blight and Frogeye Leaf Spot on soybeans; Cercospora betocola, which cause Cercospora Lleaf spot on sugar beets. Additionally, Botrytis cinerea and Agroathelia rolfsii, which cause gray mold and southern blight diseases, respectively, have a broad host range; aggressive Neopestalotiopsis sp., which was reported as an emerging strawberry disease in recent years. The screen results indicate several inhibitors can have broad-spectrum or selective inhibition effects. The group are working on develop effective formula for disease management.  A future collaboration is planned with Sanjaya and Welti to explore the functions of lipids in defense.

The Yandeau-Nelson team, in partial collaboration with previous NC-1203 member Basil Nikolau, have assessed the role of genetic redundancy in cuticular wax biosynthesis, specifically the 28 genes encoding ketoacyl-CoA synthases, by reconstituting maize fatty acid elongase systems in yeast, each expressing a unique KCS gene. By co-expressing multiple KCS isozymes, we demonstrated that dual-KCS systems generate novel VLCFA profiles and substantially increase VLCFA accumulation compared to single-KCS systems. These findings reveal synergistic interactions among maize KCS enzymes and provide new insight into how plants generate lipid diversity. The Yandeau-Nelson team is also exploring the transcriptional regulation of cuticle biosynthesis via a synthetic biology approach in which they are testing putative cuticle-related transcription factors (TFs) by expressing them in tissues naturally devoid of a cuticle, roots.  Putative cuticle-related TFs were first assessed using a rapid protoplast-based screening platform. Validated TFs were then inducibly expressed in the roots of stable transgenic Arabidopsis. A maize TF already known to regulate some cuticle-related genes, induced expression of these genes in roots, and changed root lipid composition. These results establish the platform as an effective tool for studying transcriptional  regulation of cuticle formation and lipid metabolism.

In collaboration with Xu’s lab at Brookhaven National Lab, Sanjaya’s lab investigated how starch biosynthesis and TAG turnover regulate carbon storage, growth, and photosynthesis in Arabidopsis. Single, double, and triple mutants involving ADG1, TGD1, and SDP1 were analyzed. Disrupting starch biosynthesis unexpectedly reduced TAG accumulation in the high-TAG tgd1 mutant due mainly to increased TAG breakdown rather than reduced synthesis. Sucrose supplementation restored TAG levels, indicating that carbon limitation triggered TAG degradation. Disrupting SDP1 in the starchless tgd1 adg1-1 background increased leaf TAG nine-fold and improved photosynthetic performance, but also reduced plant growth. These findings show that increasing vegetative oil content requires coordinated control of carbon availability, TAG synthesis, and TAG degradation (Patil et al., 2026; Fan et al., 2026).

The Kosma lab has completed full genome sequencing and target-specific amplicon sequencing of CRISPR-Cas9-edited potato lines targeting loss-of-function of suberin-regulating transcription factors with the objective of determining haplotype-specific editing patterns and T-DNA insertion sites. Analyses are ongoing.

The Santos lab, in collaboration with the Kosma and Cahoon labs, has a manuscript under review (Shimono et al.), where they have provided among the first direct in planta evidence that the C₁₇ polyacetylenic lipid falcarindiol (FADOH), but not falcarinol (FAOH), possesses potent antifungal activity against the necrotrophic fungus Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. Exogenous FADOH application significantly enhances resistance to S. sclerotiorum in Arabidopsis thaliana, a species that does not produce falcarins (FAOH and FADOH), and results in dose-dependent inhibition of mycelial growth in vitro. Targeted GC-MS metabolite profiling revealed that falcarins are constitutively present in carrot roots prior to pathogen encounter and depleted after S.  attack (S. sclerotiorum; Shimono et al., under review) but inducible under elicitor treatment (e.g., methyl jasmonate; MeJA; unpublished data), and thus can be classified as both phytoanticipins and phytoalexins. Inducible expression of early falcarin biosynthesis genes (DcFAD2-6,-7,-8) by MeJA (unpublished data) is consistent with de novo falcarin biosynthesis. Falcarins’ depletion after white mold attack has prompted the Santos lab to start unveiling S. sclerotiorum genes required for falcarin tolerance and tracking falcarin-derived metabolites in fungal cultures, with the goal of defining the molecular basis of falcarin detoxification and identifying targets for engineering enduring white mold resistance in carrot.

Objective 3: Develop crops with improved yield and/or functionality

The Bates lab demonstrated for the first time that endogenous oil synthesizing enzymes (e.g. DGAT1, PDAT1) can be completely removed and replaced by oil synthesizing enzymes with different fatty acid selectivity to control seed oil content. However, to complement the pollen lethality of the dgat1/pdat1 double mutant, expression of the exogenous DGAT1 must be properly contextualized for expression in both seeds and pollen by use of endogenous promoters. Additionally, to complement the lethality the introduced DGAT1 must efficiently interact with the host species oil synthesizing metabolons (McGuire et. al. 2025).

The Allen, Thelen, Cahoon, Welti, and Bates labs have extensively characterized the counterproductive capacity of the plant to alter metabolism during development that reduces the yield of unusual fatty acids, such as medium chains, that are an important feedstock for sustainable aviation fuels. Findings show beta oxidation and acyl-activating enzyme activities that plants employ to offset medium chain accumulation. This work has been submitted for publication (Lingwan et al).

The Allen, Durrett, and Mukherjee laboratories have identified biochemical mechanisms that regulate seed size under lipase-suppressed conditions. These lines exhibit increased seed size while maintaining high seed oil content, highlighting their potential for improving seed yield and oil productivity. The work is almost ready for submission for publication.

The Koo lab is developing genetic tools and new plant lines with elevated biomass oil content. These lines feature inducible expression systems stacking a plastid-localized phospholipase alongside transcription factors and metabolic enzymes known to promote TAG accumulation.

The Durrett lab has developed pennycress lines with mutations in different members of the BADC and CTI family of fatty acid regulators. These mutants possess strikingly different phenotypes compared to corresponding Arabidopsis mutant lines, suggesting an expanded role for BADC function in pennycress. Future work in collaboration with the Thelen lab will determine the basis for the observed phenotypes.

The Kosma lab, in collaboration with the Santos lab, resubmitted the patent application for a variety of potato that has reduced sprouting without compromising overall tuber yield (Vulavala et al., in preparation).

The Cahoon lab in collaboration with investigators at the University of Illinois evaluated oil sorghum lines engineered to accumulate energy-dense triacylglycerols in their vegetative tissues, placing a strong emphasis on multi-location and multi-season field testing. By using "push-pull-protect" genetic strategies in both TX430 grain and Ramada sweet sorghum backgrounds, these lines were rigorously evaluated across four distinct environments in Illinois and Nebraska over the 2023 and 2024 growing seasons. The multi-environment testing was critical to quantify genotype-by-environment interactions, demonstrating that the engineered plants achieved robust stability with up to 25-fold increases in leaf lipid concentrations. Importantly, the Ramada background achieved these high lipid yields without significant penalties to overall biomass production. This research proves the agronomic viability of vegetative lipid accumulation across diverse climates, establishing a highly productive, dual-purpose feedstock that simultaneously supplies renewable lipids for sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) and lignocellulosic biomass for the domestic bioeconomy (Chen et al., 2026).

The Cahoon lab elucidated a novel discontinuous fatty acid elongation pathway in Orychophragmus limprichtianus that produces previously unknown C24-C28 keto-hydroxy fatty acids, including newly identified "lincolnic" and "hubeic" acids. Through transcriptomic and functional assays, the team identified that this pathway utilizes a variant fatty acid elongase (FAE1) and a reduced-activity ketoreductase (KCR1). Together, these enzymes enable a polyketide synthase-like mechanism where a 3-keto-hydroxy intermediate bypasses full reduction, leading to keto-hydroxy fatty acids comprising roughly 25% of the total seed oil. The team successfully reconstructed this pathway in an engineered Arabidopsis host, proving its viability for heterologous expression. These metabolic discoveries allow for the tailored production of new-to-nature triacylglycerol estolides, providing innovative, sustainable plant-based alternatives for high-performance industrial biolubricants that can effectively replace petroleum-derived equivalents (Kim et al., 2026a).

The Cahoon lab combined synthetic pathway engineering with metabolic breeding to develop a multi-trait soybean platform tailored for aquaculture feed. The team initially introduced nine heterologous microbial and plant enzymes to co-produce eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), astaxanthin, and tocotrienols, but encountered metabolic flux constraints due to a limited alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) precursor pool and weak expression of specific desaturases. To overcome this bottleneck, the engineered line was crossed with a high-ALA soybean variety, which dramatically expanded the precursor availability. This combined breeding approach increased EPA accumulation fourfold, reaching up to 14% of total seed fatty acids, while also restoring physiological defects like poor germination and reduced oil deposition seen in the initial transgenics. The resulting seeds stably co-accumulated high-value antioxidants, including astaxanthin and tocotrienols, offering a highly scalable, plant-based alternative to fishmeal that improves the nutritional quality and oxidative stability of aquafeeds (Kim et al., 2026b).

The Dhankher Lab cloned and characterized Camelina sativa MGAT1 and SDP1 genes encoding. Seed-specific overexpression of CsMGAT1 (driven by BcNA1 napin promoter) significantly seed yield and oil contents, yielding 33-57% higher seed yield, 8–10% greater seed oil content, and >20% more oil per plant, along with altered PUFA profiles. [¹⁴C] labeled acetate assays in developing embryos expressing CsMGAT confirmed enhanced fatty acids flux into glycerolipids. These findings suggest that overexpression of MGAT positively impacts fatty acid flux into lipids, contributing to increased oil accumulation and potentially enhancing seed yield in Camelina. RNAi-mediated suppression of Camelina SDP1 further increased seed yield by 22% and oil contents by up to 7%. Furthermore, the Dhankher lab is overexpressing genes imparting abiotic stress tolerance in Camelina and Crambe abyssinica, and engineering metabolic pathways for phytomining of nickel (Ni) as a critical mineral in high‑oil, high‑seed‑yielding Camelina lines to support renewable energy applications.

Narayanan Lab investigated the expression of the genes regulating lipid metabolic changes contributing to heat tolerance in peanut genotypes. They conducted a comprehensive lipidome analysis of 52 peanut recombinant inbred lines (RILs) of F6 population derived from a cross between the heat-tolerant genotype ICGS76 and the heat-susceptible TamrunOL02, under optimum (29/20°C) and heat stress conditions (38/28°C). They found that the sequestration of unsaturated acyl chains from membrane lipids to triacylglycerols (TG) and sterol esters (SE) helps to reduce the unsaturation levels in membrane lipids which in turn helps to maintain optimal membrane fluidity and integrity under heat stress conditions. They further investigated the expression patterns of key genes involved in the identified lipid remodeling. The tested genes were diacylglycerol acyltransferases (DGAT1-2, DGAT3-3), fatty acid desaturase (FAD3-2), phospholipid:diacylglycerol acyltransferase (PDAT), acyl-coA:sterol acyltransferase (ASAT), phospholipid:sterol acyl transferase (PSAT) and heat inducible lipase (HIL1). Gene expression analysis revealed an upregulation of ASAT, PSAT, DGAT3-3 and PDAT, that uniquely regulate the acylation of sterols and TGs. This result confirmed the role of TGs and SEs in heat stress tolerance through acyl sequestration. FAD3-2 which converts 18:2 fatty acids to 18:3, showed decreased expression, potentially contributing to reduced fatty acid unsaturation levels in membrane lipids by lowering the 18:3 fatty-acid amount under heat stress. The identified genes (ASAT, PSAT, DGAT3-3, PDAT, and FAD3-2) and associated lipid-related mechanisms of heat-stress tolerance will help develop heat-tolerant peanut varieties. Further, the genes will help develop molecular markers associated with heat tolerance that will speed up the peanut breeding programs for heat tolerance.

Grants awarded

PI: Doug Allen. Co-PIs: Timothy. Durrett, Thiya Mukherjee. Agency: United Soybean Board. Title: Engineering Increased Protein and Oil in Soybeans for Improved Seed Value. Dates 10/1/2026 – 9/30/2027. Total cost: $ 235,798

PI: Ozan Ciftci. Co-PIs: Edgar Cahoon, Julia McQuillan, Tracy Niday. Agency: National Science Foundation. Title: NSF Global Centers: Food Innovation and Diversification to Advance the Bioeconomy (FoodID). Dates: 1/1/2025-12/31/2027. Total cost: $2,000,000.

PI: Edgar Cahoon. Agency: Nebraska Soybean Board. Title: Genetic Enhancement of Soybean Oil Content and Quality. Dates: 10/1/2025-9/30/2026 Total cost: $87,365.

PI: Rebecca Roston. Agency: NSF-PGRP “RESEARCH-PGR: Cycling to low-temperature tolerance” with co-PIs Toshi Obata, James Schnable, Frank Harmon Dates: 5/1/2024 - 4/30/2027. Total cost: $1,800,000

PI: Chien-Yu. Co-PI: Sara Thomas-Sharma. Agency: Louisiana Soybean & Grain Research & Promotion Board. Title: Implement Plant-Derived Natural Molecules to Manage Important Fungal Diseases in Soybeans. Dates: 4/1/2025 - 3/31/2027. Total cost: $55,911.

PI: Chien-Yu Huang. Co-PI: Ashok Kumar Chanda. Agency: Beet Sugar Development Foundation. Using Plant-Source Molecules to Manage Sugar Beet Cercospora Leaf Spot. Dates: 04/01/2026 - 03/31/2027. Total cost: $15,000.

PI: Raghuwinder Singh. Co-PIs: Chien-Yu Huang, Congliang Zhou, Mary Helen Ferguson, Clark Robertson. Agency: Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry. Title: Improving disease detection, forecasting and developing best management practices to mitigate Neopestalotiopsis leaf, fruit and crown disease of strawberry. Dates: 10/10/2025 - 5/31/2027. Total cost: $74,277.

PI: Kathrin Schrick, Co-PI: Jeffrey Comer. Agency: National Science Foundation -MCB. Title: Lipid Sensors Integrate Diurnal Phospholipid Metabolism with Gene Expression Networks in Plants. Dates: 6/1/2026-5/31/2029. Total cost: $1,000,000.

PI: Om Parkash Dhankher, Co-PIs: Baoshan Xing. Agency: Advanced Research Projects Agency- Energy (ARPAe under DOE). Title: Camelina sativa for Hyperaccumulation of Nickel (CaSH-Ni). Dates: 12/01/2024- 11/30/2027. Total cost: $1,297,055.

PI: Marna Yandeau-Nelson, Co-PIs: Erin Sparks, Rajib Saha, Basil Nikolau Alexis Campbell. Agency: NSF-MCB Systems and Synthetic Biology, Title: PlantSynBio: Deciphering the roles of genetic and biochemical redundancy and pathway regulation via refactoring the protective plant cuticle. Dates: 8/2022-7/2027 Total cost: $2,650,000

PI: Rebecca Roston, co-PIs: Joshua Vermaas and Edgar Kooijman. Agency: NSF-MCB, “Biophysical Basis for Chloroplast Cold Tolerance by Membrane Modification through Tri- and Tetra-Galactolipids”, $1,200,000

PI: Snider John. Co-PIs: Narayanan Sruthi, Kuraparthy Vasu. Agency: USDA-NIFA. Title: Accelerating the development of targeted heat tolerance selection in upland cotton. Dates: 1/1/2025 to 12/31/2028. Total amount: $800,000.

PI: Matt Hufford, Co-PI: Marna Yandeau-Nelson. Agency: Vice President for Research, Iowa State University, Title: AI-Guided Genomic Discovery of Cuticle-Mediated Adaptation to Enable Drought-Resilient Maize. Dates: 7/2026-1/2027. Total cost: $60,000.

PI: Steven Van Doren, co-Is: Jay Thelen, Phillip Bates. Agency: Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory, “Structural mechanisms of enzyme regulation to open the tap of plant oil synthesis” Award of 3rd year: Dates: 10/1/24 – 9/30/27. In-kind value: $270,000.

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10. Hapuarachchige PNP, Tat VT, Lee YL, J. Mass Spectrometry. 2026, DOI: 10.1002/jms.70007
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Protein Structure and Database Depositions

EMDB 74880, 74881. doi:10.1042/BCJ20250372

PDB 9ZVM. PDB DOI: https://doi.org/10.2210/pdb9ZVM/pdb

PDB 9AAL. PDB DOI: https://doi.org/10.2210/pdb9AAL/pdb , DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18236105

MassIVE MSV000100391 | PRIDE PXD072720

PRIDE PXD071146