Dr. Jennifer Normanly
Associate Professor, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
 University of Massachusetts at Amherst
normanly@biochem.umass.edu

Metabolic Regulation and Engineering

Visit the Normanly Lab Web Page
Background and Training

Ph.D.: California Institute of Technology
Postdoctoral training: The Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

Research Summary

Research in my laboratory focuses on the regulation of metabolic networks. We use two experimental plant systems to characterize homeostasis mechanisms (i.e. how levels are regulated within the cell) for two important metabolites. In one project we use the small flowering plant, Arabidopsis thaliana, to examine the regulation of growth and development by the signaling molecule indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), also known as auxin. In this system, we are developing analytical tools (primarily high throughput sample prep, quantitative metabolite profiling, and fluorescence-based cell sorting) to characterize IAA homeostasis. We examine mutants that are disrupted in IAA homeostasis using stable isotope labeling. Mass spectrometry features prominently in our experimental approach. Our long term goal is to understand how auxin biosynthetic pathways interact with biosynthetic pathways for other important signaling molecules such as cytokinins, gibberellins, salicylic acid, ethylene, jasmonic acid, abscisic acid and brassinosteroid. In a second project, we use cultured Taxus cells, which produce the anti-cancer compound paclitaxel (also known by the trade name Taxol). The goal here is to identify the global regulators of paclitaxel accumulation in order to engineer its stable production in culture. We use proteomics approaches to identify proteins that accumulate in concert with paclitaxel accumulation. This second project is part of a cellular engineering collaboration with two other groups on campus who employ transcript profiling and metabolite profiling to address the question of what controls paclitaxel accumulation.
Representative Publications

Barkawi, L.S., Tam, Y.-Y., Tillman, J. A., Normanly, J., Cohen, J. D., A High Throughput Method for the Quantitative Analysis of Auxins, Nature Protocols (2007, in press)

Barkawi, L.S., Tam, Y.-Y., Tillman, J.A., Pederson, B., Calio, J., Al-Amier, H., Emerick, M., Normanly, J. Cohen, J.D., A high-throughput method for the quantitative analysis of indole-3-acetic acid and other auxins from plant tissue, Analytical Biochemistry (2007), doi: 10.1016/j.ab.2007.08.009

Calio, J., Tam, Y.Y., and Normanly, J. Auxin Biology and Biosynthesis in Recent Advances in Phytochemistry: Integrative Plant Biochemistry, ed, J. Romeo, Elsevier, vol 40: 287-305 (2006).

Ljung,K.,  Hull, A., Celenza, J., Yamada, M., Estelle, M., Normanly, J., and Sandberg, G. Sites and regulation of auxin biosynthesis in Arabidopsis roots.Plant Cell, 17:1090-1140 (2005).

Celenza, J.L., Quiel, J.A., Smolen, G.A., Merrikh, H., Silvestro, A., Normanly, J., and  Bender J. The Arabidopsis ATR1 Myb transcription factor controls indolic glucosinolate homeostasis.Plant Physiology, 137:253-262 (2005)

Normanly, J, Sovin, JP, and Cohen, JD Auxin Metabolism in Plant Hormones: Biosynthesis, Signal Transduction, Action! 3rd edition. P.J. Davies, ed. Kluwer Academic Publishers: Dordrecht, The Netherlands. pp 36-62 (2004)

Zhao, Y., Hull, A. K., Gupta, N., Goss, K. A., Alonso, J., Ecker, J. R., Normanly, J., Chory, J., and Celenza, J. L. Trp-dependent auxin biosynthesis in Arabidopsis: involvement of cytochrome P450s CYP79B2 and CYP79B3. Genes and Development 16:3100-3112 (2002).

Tam, Y. Y., and Normanly, J. Overexpression of a bacterial indole-3-acetyl-L-aspartic acid hydrolase in Arabidopsis thaliana. Physiologia Plantarum 115:513-522 (2002).

Brown, D.E., Rashotte, A. M., Murphy, A. S., Normanly, J., Tague, B. W., Peer, W. A., Taiz, L., and Muday, G. K. Flavonoids act as negative regulators of auxin transport in vivo in Arabidopsis thaliana. Plant Physiology 126 (2): 524-535 (2001).

Tam, Y. Y, Epstein, E. and Normanly, J. Characterization of auxin conjugates in Arabidopsis. Low steady-state levels of indole-3-acetyl-aspartate, indole-3-acetyl-glutamate, and indole-3-acetyl-glucose. Plant Physiology 123:589-595 (2000).

Normanly, J. and Bartel, B. Redundancy as a way of life: IAA metabolism. Current Opinion in Plant Biology 2, 207-213 (1999)

Quirino, B., Normanly, J. and Amasino, R. M. Diverse range of gene activity during Arabidopsis thaliana leaf senescence includes pathogen-independent induction of defense-related genes. Plant Molecular Biology 40:267-278 (1999).

Tam, Y. Y. and Normanly, J. Determination of indole-3-pyruvic acid levels in Arabidopsis thaliana by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Journal of Chromatography A 800, 101-108 (1998).

Normanly, J., Grisafi, P., Fink, G. R., and Bartel, B. Arabidopsis thaliana mutants resistant to the auxin effects of indole-3-acetonitrile are defective in the nitrilase encoded by the NIT1 gene. The Plant Cell 9, 1781-1790 (1997).

Normanly, J Auxin Metabolism. Physiologia Plantarum 100, 431-442 (1997).

Normanly, J., Slovin, J. P., and Cohen, J. D. Rethinking IAA metabolism. Plant Physiology 107, 323-329 (1995) .